footstep

1 the sound of a step of someone walking; "he heard footsteps on the porch" [syn: footfall, step]

2 the act of taking a step in walking

3 the distance covered by a step; "he stepped off ten paces from the old tree and began to dig" [syn: pace, step, stride]

English

Etymology

From foot + step.

Noun

1. The mark or impression left by a foot; a track.

   The child watched as his footsteps in the sand were washed away by the waves.

2. By extension, the indications or waypoints of a course or direction taken.

   To walk the footsteps of greatness requires that you start at the bottom of a long stair.

3. The sound made by walking, running, etc.

   The footsteps of the students echoed in the empty hall.

4. A step, as in a stair.

   The garden path had a small footstep down to the main walkway.

5. The distance between one foot and the next when walking; a pace.

   Mere footsteps away from the victim lay the murder weapon.

6. The act of taking a step.

   Take one more footstep towards me, and I'll make you sorry!

7. An inclined plane under a hand printing press.

Synonyms

• (mark left by a foot): footprint, step, track
• (signs of a course taken): point, path, step, trail
• (sound of a footstep): footfall, plod, step, tread
• (step, as in a stair): riser, step
• (distance of one footstep): pace, step, stride
• (act of taking a step): pace, plod, step, stride, tread

Translations

• Dutch: voetstap

Footstep or Footsteps may refer to:

• A step and its sound effect for various media like films and video games

Music

• "Footsteps" (Pearl Jam song), a 1992 song by Pearl Jam
• "Footsteps", a 1994 rock music song on The Mind's Eye by Stiltskin
• Griot's Footsteps, an early 1990s brass music album by Graham Haynes
• "Grandmother's Footsteps", a 1985 rock song on No Rest for the Wicked by New Model Army

Literature and film

• Footsteps (film), a 1974 short film by Peter Biziou and Alan Parker
• Footsteps (AKA Jejak Langkah), a 1985 novel by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
• Footsteps Press (see T. E. D. Klein for some book references)
• Footsteps, a pull-out section in Living History Magazine
• Ryland's Footsteps, a 2004 novel by Sally Prue

Other

• Footstep 11, a 2007 youth conference at Moneague College hosted by Global Footsteps

See also

• Footfall
• Footprint

boss, bump, clop, colophon, concavity, convexity, dactylogram, dactylograph, dent, dint, doorstep, embossment, example, excrescence, fingerprint, footfall, footmark, footprint, footprints, footrest, footsteps, fossil footprint, hippety-hop, hoofbeat, hop, ichnite, ichnolite, impress, impression, imprint, indent, indentation, indention, jump, lump, pace, pad, paw print, pawmark, pimple, print, pug, pugmark, rest, riser, round, rundle, rung, scale, seal, sigil, signet, skip, spoke, spoor, stair, stamp, stave, step, step stool, stepping-stone, stride, string, stud, thumbmark, thumbprint, trace, track, tract, tradition, trail, tread, vestige, way of life