footprint

Noun

footprint (plural footprints)

1. The impression of the foot in a soft substance such as sand or snow.
   • “Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant.1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 13, in Well Tackled!

   Synonyms:

   footmark, ichnogram

2. Space required by a piece of equipment.
   • This computer has a smaller footprint.
3. The amount of hard drive space required for a program.
4. The audit trail left by a crashed program.
5. A trace left behind that gives evidence of some action having occurred.
   • In a recent study with a movie recommendation site […], higher message interactivity in the form of footprints of user actions, responsive suggestions in a search box, and live-chatting with an online agent led to greater perceived contingency and engagement with the site, which ultimately created...2012, James Price Dillard, Lijiang Shen, The SAGE Handbook of Persuasion: Developments in Theory and Practice
6. (figuratively, in plural) What a person has done before, as a profession or lifestyle, serving as a model for others.
   • He is following in his father's footprints.
7. The surface space occupied by a structure.
   • the footprint of a building
   • Heavy debris would generally travel farther downrange within the debris footprint; lighter material would generally fall near the point of intercept. Footprint lengths can vary […]2007, Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS): Environmental Impact
8. A company's geographic market presence.
   • The store, which is slated to open next month, increases the company's footprint in the market to 14 locations.
9. The ecological impact of a human activity, machine, etc.
   • My carbon footprint is very high.
10. Availability of a satellite from the ground.
    • When a satellite's footprint covers a wider area than intended, the footprint is said to “spillover” ^([sic]) into surrounding territory.2014, August E. Grant, Ashley J. Bennington, Communication Technology Update, page 274
11. A polygon representing the shape of an item.
    • building footprint