footstep

noun

foot·​step ˈfu̇t-ˌstep 

1

: the mark of the foot : track

2

a

: tread

b

: distance covered by a step : pace

3

: a step on which to ascend or descend

4

: a way of life, conduct, or action

followed in his father's footsteps

Synonyms

• footprint
• step

Examples of footstep in a Sentence

She slowly took one footstep toward the frightened animal.

It's five footsteps from the bedroom to the bathroom.

Recent Examples on the Web

Following in the footsteps of her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian Sr., Kim began a four-year apprenticeship with a firm in San Francisco to pursue her law degree. —Maria Yagoda, People.com, 21 June 2025

Leo is also following in the footsteps of his namesake, Leo XIII, who advocated for better working conditions during a period of rapid industrialization in the late 19th century and early 20th century. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 20 June 2025

Beck, considered at one point to be a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, would love to follow in the footsteps of Ward, who was the first pick after putting up huge numbers in Shannon Dawson’s offense. —Manny Navarro, New York Times, 20 June 2025

Things got painfully intense as the 29-year-old powered through the spice-laden challenge, following in the footsteps of her BLACKPINK bandmates ROSÉ and LISA, who had previously braved the wings of death in past episodes. —Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 19 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for footstep

• bicep
• doorstep
• instep
• lockstep
• misstep
• sidestep
• cep
• hep
• pep
• prep
• rep
• sep

Kids Definition

footstep

noun

foot·​step -ˌstep 

1

a

: a step of the foot

b

: the distance covered by a step : pace

2

a

: the mark of the foot

b

: the sound of a footstep

3

: a step on which to go up or down