footnote

1 of 2

noun

foot·​note ˈfu̇t-ˌnōt 

1

: a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page

2

a

: one that is a relatively subordinate or minor part (as of an event, work, or field)

a movement now regarded as a footnote to architectural history

b

: commentary sense 3a

footnote

2 of 2

verb

footnoted; footnoting; footnotes

transitive verb

: to furnish with a footnote : annotate

Examples of footnote in a Sentence

Noun

a movement now regarded as a footnote to history

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In a footnote, Smith noted the Justice Department opinions barring prosecution of sitting presidents do not apply to Trump’s state cases. —Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024

Smith wrote in a footnote to his filing that his reasoning on dropping both cases stemmed from opinions from the department's Office of Legal Counsel from 1973 and 2000 that address only federal cases. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2024

Verb

The research of others, although abundantly and generously cited, too often seems to footnote Pinker's own prior assumptions. —Timothy Snyder, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011

But, no, weirdly enough, the ‘80s aspect of this movie was less about referencing or footnoting things than getting the story right for me. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

footnote

noun

foot·​note

-ˌnōt

: a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page

footnote verb