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

• footmark
• footprint
• step
• trace
• vestige

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

While her son Justin, 38, opted for a life out of the spotlight, daughters Rainey Qualley, 35, and Margaret Qualley, 30, followed in their mom’s footsteps, and Andie costarred with Margaret in 2021’s Maid. —Julie Jordan, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025

People first looked to Mastodon before Meta launched Threads in the summer of 2023—but now Meta is following in Musk’s footsteps by rolling back content-moderation policies, so many find that Bluesky makes more sense. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2025

Meta, seemingly following in X’s and Elon Musk’s footsteps, is rolling back fact-checking and hate speech protections on Facebook and Instagram at a breakneck pace. —Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025

Both of the five star prospects will be attending Duke next fall, following in the footsteps of their old man (the eldest Boozer played there from 1999-2002). —Mat Issa, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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