footnote
noun
foot·note
| \ ˈfu̇t-ˌnōt
\
\
Definition of footnote
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page
2a
: one that is a relatively subordinate or minor part (as of an event, work, or field)
a movement now regarded as a footnote to architectural history
footnote
verb
footnoted;
footnoting;
footnotes
Definition of footnote (Entry 2 of 2)
: to furnish with a footnote : annotate
Examples of footnote in a Sentence
Noun
a movement now regarded as a footnote to historyRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
When Anders Levermann led the sea-level work for the IPCC’s most recent climate assessment, published in 2014, marine-ice-sheet instability was just a footnote. — The Economist, "Climate change is a remorseless threat to the world’s coasts," 17 Aug. 2019 The font was merely a footnote, reported by AuburnUniforms.com, in the context of the change to the Auburn logo. — Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, "Auburn tweaks logo, could be switching to ‘Sabon’ font, which, of course, has our attention," 9 Aug. 2019 Including those awards in Mr. Iger’s pay total could have added as much as $114 million to his pay at the time, Disney said in a footnote in its proxy. — Charlie Mcgee, WSJ, "Media CEOs Reigned in 2018 Pay," 26 June 2019 With suffrage the law of the land, the efforts of inventors like Lenna Winslow soon became a footnote to history. — David Kindy, Smithsonian, "The Voting Machine That Displayed Different Ballots Based on Your Sex," 26 June 2019 The uprising shifted politics: police shootings went from footnotes to front-page stories, with outlets tracking just how disproportionately black, brown and indigenous the victims are. — Brittany Packnett, Time, "How Ferguson Woke Us Up," 8 Aug. 2019 What struck me most, however, was a memoir by the essayist Emmanuel Berl, one of Mandel’s closest friends, that was a best-seller after the war but has long since faded into historians’ footnotes. — James Mcauley, Town & Country, "The Haunting of Paris: Georges Mandel and the Long Legacy of Nazi Violence," 6 Aug. 2019 In the report Mr Haradinaj is mentioned only in a footnote but Hashim Thaci, Kosovo’s president, is prominent. — The Economist, "Kosovo’s prime minister faces war-crimes allegations," 25 July 2019 The legal settlement adds a grim footnote to the inspiring story of Mr. Armstrong, who avoided the limelight and never cashed in on his fame. — Scott Shane, New York Times, "Neil Armstrong’s Death, and a Stormy, Secret $6 Million Settlement," 23 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
For instance, a recent booking at a local beach resort hotel was footnoted in the small print as having a $50-a-night fee for any vehicle brought to the property. — Los Angeles Times, "Feedback: Readers lash out at resort fees," 17 Aug. 2019 Those who bothered to read all four hundred and forty-eight pages discovered a gripping document, painstakingly footnoted and verified. — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, "“Accountability”? The Mueller Hearing Is How Trump Escapes It," 24 July 2019 Given that data analytics have changed under the new standard, investors need to look beyond financial statement footnotes to grasp the proper disclosures, Ms. Peters said. — Mark Maurer, WSJ, "New Lease Accounting Standard May Mislead Investors, Credit Suisse Says," 10 July 2019 Lately, the sweep of reductive history has elevated Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan to almost mythic status, leaving the other great conductors of the 20th century as footnotes that only specialist collectors care about. — Allan Kozinn, WSJ, "‘George Szell: The Complete Columbia Album Collection’ Review: A Maestro’s Time in Cleveland Still Shines," 22 Aug. 2018 Two European novelists, Ronald Firbank and Louis-Ferdinand Céline, are footnoted, with their birth and death years, their vocations, and the statement that New Directions published them in the United States. — Ethan Mordden, WSJ, "‘The Luck of Friendship’ Review: Dear Playwright, Dear Publisher," 9 Mar. 2018 So there is our celebration, much of it biblically inspired, even if not always footnoted. — Rick Hamlin And Bloomberg, charlotteobserver, "Where we get gifts, and lights, and angels for Christmas | Charlotte Observer," 22 Dec. 2017 This point alone should be a lodestar of the hearings: Elections matter for the court, even if most of what the court does is obfuscated and footnoted. — Neil S. Siegel, Slate Magazine, "The Democrats Can’t Block Gorsuch," 1 Feb. 2017 Based mainly on secondary sources, but thoroughly footnoted, Crawford’s book proceeds from curiosity to curiosity, often jumping back and forth between recent history and the distant past. — The Washington Post, The Denver Post, "“Fallen Glory” surveys the world’s lost wonders and lesser structures," 20 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'footnote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for footnote
footnote
noun
English Language Learners Definition of footnote
: a note with added information that is placed below the text on a printed page
: someone or something that is remembered or regarded as a minor or unimportant part of an event, work, etc.
See the full definition for footnote in the English Language Learners Dictionary
footnote
noun
foot·note
| \ ˈfu̇t-ˌnōt
\
\
Kids Definition of footnote
: a note at the bottom of a page
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