Meaning & use
leave a footprint
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To make a mark on a surface with your foot, or to show that you have been somewhere.
Grammar: No object is needed, but you often add 'on' or 'in' plus a place: leave a footprint on the sand.
Patterns
- leave a footprint on something
- leave a footprint in something
- leave footprints behind
The children left footprints all over the wet kitchen floor.
You could see where the deer had left a footprint in the soft mud.
Wipe your shoes, or you'll leave a footprint on the carpet.
verbintransitivefigurative
To have a noticeable effect on something, especially harm to the environment.
Grammar: Often used with 'on': every flight leaves a footprint on the planet.
Patterns
- leave a footprint on something
- leave a carbon footprint
Flying long distances leaves a large footprint on the environment.
The company promised to reduce the footprint it leaves on local water supplies.
Even small choices can leave a footprint on the climate.
verbintransitivefigurative
To have a lasting influence or be remembered for what you did.
Grammar: Common in phrases like 'leave a footprint in history' or 'leave a footprint on the world'.
Patterns
- leave a footprint on something
- leave a footprint in history
Her research left a footprint on the way we treat this disease.
He hoped to leave a footprint in the world of music.
Few leaders leave such a deep footprint on their country.
Common combinations
- leave a carbon footprint
- Driving to work every day leaves a big carbon footprint.
- leave a footprint on the sand
- The tide soon erased the footprints we left on the sand.
- leave a footprint in the snow
- The dog left a footprint in the fresh snow.
- leave a footprint on the environment
- Cheap packaging leaves a heavy footprint on the environment.
- leave a lasting footprint
- The festival left a lasting footprint on the town.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leave a mark
- More general; it can mean any visible or emotional effect, not just an environmental one.
- make an impression
- Focuses on people's memory of you rather than on physical or environmental traces.
- have an impact
- Neutral and formal; it does not carry the image of a physical trace.
Word family
- footprint noun
- A mark left by a foot, or a measure of environmental impact.
- footprints noun
- The plural form, used for several marks.
Commonly confused: leave a footprint or footprint?
leave a footprint vs footprint
The noun alone names the mark; 'leave a footprint' is the whole action phrase.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'leave a footprint' in the environmental sense?
Choose one answer.
Only option 2 talks about harm to the environment, which is the figurative environmental sense. The other three describe a physical mark made by a foot or paw.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leave a footprint”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.