footprint

noun foot·print \ ˈfu̇t-ˌprint \

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of footprint

1 : an impression of the foot on a surface

2 a : the area on a surface covered by something

a tire with a wide footprint

the footprint of a laser beam

b : range of operation (as of a service)

a global footprint

3 : a marked effect, impression, or impact

left a footprint in the field of research

4 : something that identifies

a genetic footprint

See footprint defined for English-language learners

See footprint defined for kids

Examples of footprint in a Sentence

The child left her tiny footprints in the snow.
He walked into the kitchen with his boots on, making muddy footprints on the floor.
The new model has a smaller footprint than the older model.

Recent Examples of footprint from the Web

First, these things take up a lot of counter space—pretty much the footprint of a five-gallon bucket, and two-thirds the height.

— joe ray, WIRED, "Are Air Fryers Worth It?," 10 May 2018
And what about the ecological footprint of being a gluttonous omnivore?

— vlad savov, The Verge, "At I/O, Google showed its willingness to change and shape our lives," 9 May 2018
The attraction, built basically on the footprint of the former Disaster!

— dewayne bevil, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Universal: Livestream set for Fast & Furious ride event," 30 Apr. 2018
The schoolhouse, the ice cream parlor, the footprints of homes are spectres of lives interrupted by progress.

— anne burke, San Francisco Chronicle, "You no longer need a snorkel to see this Nevada ghost town," 30 Apr. 2018
The total footprint of the buildings to be demolished is 15,900-square-feet.

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Madisonville Catholic Church project draws big crowd to town hall," 27 Apr. 2018
For weeks, as walkout discussions intensified among Arizona's educators, the public has wondered what the footprint of such an action would be in Arizona.

— ricardo cano, azcentral, "#RedForEd walkout school closures will impact 820,000 Arizona students," 24 Apr. 2018
The two clubs previously reached a historic agreement to build a 5,000-seat facility in Central Tacoma on the footprint of Cheney Stadium.

— SI.com, "Numbers Behind the MLS Ambition Rankings: Western Conference Clubs," 23 Apr. 2018
Today, the footprint of Interstate 35W resembles a rural highway for much of the journey between far north Fort Worth and Denton, although the volume of traffic often is more like the races held at nearby Texas Motor Speedway.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram, "Why state officials may (finally) be ready to expand I-35W from Fort Worth to Denton | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'footprint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.