footprints

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.

See all 11 meanings of footprint