footprint
Americannoun
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a mark left by the shod or unshod foot, as in earth or sand.
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an impression of the sole of a person's foot, especially one taken for purposes of identification.
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Informal. the track of a tire, especially on wet pavement.
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a unique set of characteristics, actions, etc., that leave a trace and serve as a means of identification.
Be careful when you post on social media—your online footprint could harm your reputation.
The tumors share the same genetic footprint.
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the area affected by an increase in the level of sound or noise, as that generated by an airplane.
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Telecommunications. the area of the earth's surface within which a communications satellite's signals can be received.
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Aerospace. the area within which it is predicted that a spacecraft or its debris will land.
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the surface space of a desk or tabletop occupied by a piece of equipment, especially a computer or other electronic device.
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the surface area occupied by any structure, device, etc..
The new store will have a large footprint.
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the impact that humans have on the environment, especially in the utilization of natural resources.
China's water footprint;
ways to reduce our environmental footprint.
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any impact or effect, or its scope.
the company’s wide footprint across the state.
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Also called ecological footprint. the amount of biologically productive land and ocean area required to sustain the resource consumption and waste production of an individual, population, or human activity: measured in global acres or hectares.
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Computers. the amount of memory or disk space required by a program.
noun
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an indentation or outline of the foot of a person or animal on a surface
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the shape and size of the area something occupies
enlarging the footprint of the building
a computer with a small footprint
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impact on the environment
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a military presence
since 1944, America's military footprint in Europe has been in the West
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computing the amount of resources, such as disk space and memory, that an application requires See also electronic footprint
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an identifying characteristic on land or water, such as the area in which an aircraft's sonic boom can be heard or the area covered by the down-blast of a hovercraft
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the area in which the signal from a direct broadcasting satellite is receivable
Etymology
Origin of footprint
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It has been estimated that a typical cremation has a footprint equivalent to about 320kg of carbon dioxide- Alkaline hydrolysis is found to result in the emission of seven times less CO2.
From BBC
I didn’t have a map so I didn’t know exactly where I was, and since I was in the lead, there were no footprints in the dust to follow.
"Games developed with Unreal often have a graphical footprint that's easy to spot," he said.
From Barron's
The transformation is perhaps the most visible in defense’s growing digital footprint.
From MarketWatch
Sunway Healthcare has been expanding its footprint across Malaysia and expects to grow its bed capacity to 3,400 by 2032.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
