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 their father's footsteps

Synonyms of footstep

• 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

Tracing Jason Ryan’s footsteps Since his conviction in Ireland, Ryan has moved around the UK a fair bit, living for a while in Cheshire, touring a play across the north of England and then landing his job with Norwood’s Black Box theater in Birmingham. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026

Bravo’s Summer House is engulfed in its own scandal, which follows in the footsteps of Vanderpump Rules’ now infamous Scandoval from 2023. —Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026

The women follow in the men's footsteps and their role models are not their mothers. —Marcy Thompson, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026

Colin and Chet have also followed in their parents' most important footsteps to become dads themselves. —Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026

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