Meaning & use
footsteps
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“footsteps” is a form of “footstep”.
Meanings
nounusually plural
The sound made by someone walking.
Grammar: Usually plural: we heard footsteps; a single footstep is possible.
Patterns
- hear footsteps
- footsteps approach
We heard footsteps in the hallway and fell silent.
Her footsteps echoed down the empty street.
The guard's footsteps grew louder as he came closer.
nounusually plural
A mark left by a foot, such as in snow or sand.
Grammar: Usually plural: footsteps in the snow.
Patterns
- footsteps in the snow
Footsteps led across the sand to the water.
We followed their footsteps through the fresh snow.
The footsteps stopped at the garden gate.
nounidiomfigurative
The path or example set by someone before you, used in the idiom follow in someone's footsteps.
Grammar: Appears in set phrases: follow in your father's footsteps.
Patterns
- follow in someone's footsteps
She followed in her mother's footsteps and became a doctor.
He did not want to follow in his father's footsteps.
Many young writers walk in the footsteps of their heroes.
Word forms
| singular | footstep |
|---|
Common combinations
- hear footsteps
- I heard footsteps behind me.
- follow in someone's footsteps
- He decided to follow in his sister's footsteps.
- approaching footsteps
- Approaching footsteps made her turn.
- heavy footsteps
- Heavy footsteps shook the old staircase.
- footsteps in the snow
- Footsteps in the snow led to the cabin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- steps
- Steps is the more everyday word for the sound or action of walking, while footsteps focuses on the sound or mark.
- tread
- Tread is literary and describes the manner of walking, whereas footsteps is neutral.
- footprints
- Footprints are only the marks left, not the sound.
- tracks
- Tracks may be marks left by people or animals, while footsteps stresses a person walking.
Word family
Commonly confused: footsteps or footprints?
footsteps vs footprints
Footprints are marks made by feet, while footsteps usually refers to the sound or the act of walking.
Practice
She decided to become a teacher, following in her grandmother's ___.
Choose one answer.
Follow in someone's footsteps is the idiom for copying a person's path or career. Shadows is a tempting wrong answer, but it is not the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “footsteps”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.