footprint
footprint — noun
1. the shape pressed into ground, mud, or sand when someone steps, showing the bott
the shape pressed into ground, mud, or sand when someone steps, showing the bottom of a shoe or a bare foot
Lakan saw fresh footprints in the mud near the river.
plural form: footprints in mud/sand/snow
The police took a photograph of the single footprint at the crime scene.
countable noun: a/the footprint
Small animal footprints led across the garden to the wooden fence.
Roya wiped her wet footprints off the kitchen floor with a cloth.
The children left muddy footprints all over the bathroom after their bath.
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form footprints when describing a series of marks left by walking. Frequently appears with location phrases such as in the mud, on the floor, or in the snow.
常見錯誤
2. the area of a surface that a piece of equipment, furniture, or building covers,
the area of a surface that a piece of equipment, furniture, or building covers, measured by how much room it takes up
Noa designed a desk with a small footprint to fit the tiny office.
collocation: small/large footprint
The new factory has a much larger footprint than the old one.
Élise measured the footprint of the sofa before she bought it.
Solar panels need a large footprint on a south-facing roof to work well.
3. the measurable effect of a person, company, or product on the environment or on
the measurable effect of a person, company, or product on the environment or on digital systems, calculated by resources used, waste created, or data left behind online
Imran reduced his carbon footprint by biking to work every day.
collocation: carbon footprint
The company wants to lower its ecological footprint by using less plastic packaging.
collocation: ecological footprint
Hyun checked his digital footprint by searching for his own name online.
Antonia's family tries to leave a smaller environmental footprint each year.
- impact
broader in meaning; does not specifically refer to a measured environmental or digital effect
用法筆記
Almost always used with a modifier before it, such as carbon, ecological, environmental, or digital. The modifier tells the reader which kind of impact is being measured.