footprint

noun

foot·print | \ ˈfu̇t-ˌprint

Definition of footprint

1 : an impression of the foot on a surface

2a : 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about footprint

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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 on the Web

Small wonder that Richemont wants to expand its footprint online. — The Economist, "Luxury goodsRichemont, the world’s second-biggest luxury firm, bets on digital," 27 Jan. 2018 The difference in footprint between it and its predecessor is impossible to miss. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "2018 iPad Pro hands-on: Improving on the world’s best tablet," 30 Oct. 2018 In 1964, Santa Rosa survived the Hanley Fire, which burned in nearly the exact same footprint as 2017’s Tubbs. — Susie Cagle, Curbed, "California’s changing fire country," 10 Oct. 2018 But military budgets can most easily be slashed by cutting down on foreign operations and procurement, which could result in a declining Russian footprint in places like Syria. — Rick Noack, Washington Post, "Even as fear of Russia is rising, its military spending is actually decreasing," 2 May 2018 Google has rapidly expanded in cities across the country, and just announced plans to grow its New York City footprint to 7 million square feet, enough to house 46,000 employees. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Big cities courting big tech helped define 2018," 18 Dec. 2018 Until recently, Google minimized its physical footprint in the country to avoid giving the Chinese government the leverage that would come from having offices and employees on the Chinese mainland. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Google employees demand that Google stop work on censored Chinese search," 27 Nov. 2018 On the opposite side of the airport, JetBlue is poised to vastly expand its footprint and will demolish Terminal 7 and build a $3 billion, 12-gate international terminal to connect to airline’s existing Terminal 5. — Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, "New York's Airports Are Getting Billion-Dollar Makeovers—But What Will They Actually Change?," 21 Nov. 2018 Like the 4-star stores, the company’s physical bookstores, and its Whole Foods subsidiary, Amazon Go is the e-commerce giant’s attempt to expand its footprint beyond online retail and into the real-world. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Amazon opens another 4-star store in Berkeley, California," 5 Nov. 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.