footnote

1 of 2

noun

foot·​note ˈfu̇t-ˌnōt 

1

: a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page

2

a

: one that is a relatively subordinate or minor part (as of an event, work, or field)

a movement now regarded as a footnote to architectural history

b

: commentary sense 3a

footnote

2 of 2

verb

footnoted; footnoting; footnotes

transitive verb

: to furnish with a footnote : annotate

Examples of footnote in a Sentence

Noun

a movement now regarded as a footnote to history

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Though Willoughby is an interesting footnote in art history, scholars contend that none of her paintings exist. —Joan Gaylord, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2024

In a footnote, the justices also invited lower courts to review the obstruction charge in Trump’s election interference case after a Friday ruling narrowed the charge. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 1 July 2024

Verb

But, no, weirdly enough, the ‘80s aspect of this movie was less about referencing or footnoting things than getting the story right for me. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2024

But Herf writes about Islamism in the Arab world while citing no documents or literature in Arabic and while footnoting virtually none of the enormous secondary literature on the subject. —Paul Berman, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2010

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

footnote

noun

foot·​note

-ˌnōt

: a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page

footnote verb