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

Instead, the company could address its AI challenges with an acquisition — the company has reportedly discussed buying AI startup Perplexity — or by deepening its partnership with OpenAI, or following in Meta’s footsteps by investing more heavily in top talent, Zino said. —Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 15 July 2025

Kylie may also one day follow in her mom Kris’ footsteps and become a momager. —Clare Fisher, People.com, 14 July 2025

Jonathan Bailey is following in his Wicked costar Jeff Goldblum's footsteps by starring in the latest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise. —Daysia Tolentino, EW.com, 13 July 2025

First, there’s Trinity Killer Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), who murdered Dexter’s wife, Rita (Julie Benz), and left baby Harrison in a pool of her blood, which maybe doomed Harrison to following in his dad’s serial-killer footsteps. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 July 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