footstep

Study(17)

/ˈfʊtstɛp/

noun 5

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

heavy | light

dragging

She recognized her father's dragging footstep as he slowly climbed the stairs after work.

VERB + FOOTSTEP

hear, listen to

listen for

The child waited by the door, listening for his father's footsteps after school.

retrace

She retraced her footsteps through the forest to find the cabin where she had left her keys.

FOOTSTEP + VERB

run, walk

halt, stop

Her footsteps stopped suddenly when she heard the strange noise coming from upstairs.

approach, come

I heard footsteps approaching from down the hallway late last night.

recede

pass (on)

Heavy footsteps passed through the hallway and then faded away into silence.

descend the stairs | falter

die away, fade (away)

We listened as the stranger's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

crunch, echo, pound, sound

Heavy footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as the principal walked past our classroom.

PHRASES

the sound of (sb's) footsteps

Definitions

noun

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.

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.

follow in someone's footsteps

The sound made by walking, running etc.

The footsteps of the students echoed in the empty hall.

Hear footsteps creak the floor / The shadows give away / Someone outside the door / Won't let 'em in

A step, as in a stair.

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

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

Mere footsteps away from the victim lay the murder weapon.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the sound of a step of someone walking

noun — the distance covered by a step

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

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

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

follow in someone's footsteps

Wiktionary

A bright beautiful face glanced out at the window, and vanished--a light footstep was heard--and Mary came tripping forth to meet us.

Tatoeba · #5681939

Sami could hear each footstep that anybody would make throughout the house.

Tatoeba · #7317923

The fertility Goddess is rising. She will crush all evil with each footstep.

Tatoeba · #10890237

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, footstep is marked as figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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