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

Audiences had watched Wanda lose the love of her life in Avengers: Infinity War, but Vision's death was little more than a footnote in that film. —Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

There were a lot of media outlets that ran retrospectives of his career on television, and to be mentioned in some of those, even as a very small footnote in that legacy, felt cool. —Vulture Editors, Vulture, 4 Sep. 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