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footfall

footfall

9 6.2
The sound a person's steps make when they walk
  • noun
  • /ˈfʊtˌfɔl/
translation icon : paso
  • Before long, I heard footfalls moving past and then a low rumble of voices.
  • heard footfalls
  • heavy footfalls
  • thunderous footfalls

Examples

  • Part of me had been in a cellar, too, waiting for the sound of footfalls on the stairs.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Once inside, they listened to the footfalls of a couple who never found their way within.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • For a moment, he could swear that he had heard footfalls other than his own.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I watched the light and the shadows that each of his footfalls made.

    Academic text (2003)
  • But then she heard her husband's footfall and his early-morning cough.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Soon will come the clatter of footfalls up the drive.

  • In the weird stillness, Meguet heard a footfall in the grass behind her.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Closing her eyes, she laid her cheek against the earth, listening to his footfalls getting closer.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Her thoughts were accompanied by the crunch of her footfalls on the loamy trail.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • As she walked through the quiet forest, the only sound was the gentle footfall of her boots on the soft moss.

Synonyms

step
vsfootfall
100 1.0

The sound a foot or shoe makes on the ground

focuses only on the sound rather than the physical mark
footstep
vsfootfall
90 1.0

The sound made by someone walking

refers to the repeated sounds made while walking
tread
vsfootfall
  • Literature
6 6.5

A single step or the sound a foot makes when walking

is the general neutral term for the walking sound
faint footstep
vsfootfall
4.2

A very quiet sound someone makes when they take a step

refers to the walking sound without saying loudness

How Loud

footfall
9 6.2

Surface Forms

footfall singular
footfalls plural

Morphology

footfall = foot + fall (transparent) = foot + fall

The meaning is a straightforward compound: the 'fall' (action/impact) of a 'foot'—learners can infer 'a step' or the sound of a step from the parts.

Etymology

Footfall comes from foot and fall, giving the clear picture of a foot 'falling' onto the ground and making a noise. So a footfall is the sound of a person's 'step'.