foot·note
ˈfu̇t-ˌnōt 
1
: a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page
2
a
: 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
Examples of footnote in a Sentence
Noun
a movement now regarded as a footnote to history
Recent Examples on the Web
Dianne Gallagher, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
By 2024, Butler in a Box wasn’t even a footnote on the Wikipedia pages of its modern successors.
—Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2024
But whatever the extent of Sara Little Turnbull’s contribution to the N95, incredibly, the mask was just a footnote in her long career.
—Johanna Mayer, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
While his influence on American cuisine then went unspoken of for centuries, Posey is no longer just a footnote in U.S. history.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024
These are not the first time that it has been recommended that Black men get tested earlier, but as Dr. Oh explains, with other guidelines this was often a footnote rather than the main aim of the work.
—Victoria Forster, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
And what follows this astonishing statement is a tangle of qualifications and irrelevancies trailing off into the footnotes.
—Leif Wenar, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024
That proved a footnote to a mission that thrilled Americans and Russians alike.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The doc elevates its status from footnote to gamechanger, reframing his time abroad as key to both personal growth and a creative level-up.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2024
Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
Forgotten footnotes in the annals of sports history.
—Men's Health Editorial, Men's Health, 14 Aug. 2023
It’s not generally expected to footnote its references or adopt the citational rigor of nonfiction.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023
Increasingly art schools, including Central Saint Martins and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), are teaching students to effectively footnote their mood boards.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2022
His argument is sophisticated and footnoted, but jargon-free and illustrated in a way that helps even readers with no economic training to follow it.
—The Economist, 12 Dec. 2019
That makes much of the display feel less like rewriting history than simply footnoting more thoroughly.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2019
Each section comes heavily footnoted, indicating the appearance of traditional folk tale motifs — taboos, odd coincidences.
—Parul Sehgal, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2019
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, 17 Aug. 2019
Noun
Sealing the evidence is necessary to protect the integrity of that investigation, prosecutors argued, noting in a footnote that Murdaugh’s attorneys are opposed to sealing the polygraph report.
—Dianne Gallagher, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
By 2024, Butler in a Box wasn’t even a footnote on the Wikipedia pages of its modern successors.
—Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2024
But whatever the extent of Sara Little Turnbull’s contribution to the N95, incredibly, the mask was just a footnote in her long career.
—Johanna Mayer, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
While his influence on American cuisine then went unspoken of for centuries, Posey is no longer just a footnote in U.S. history.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024
These are not the first time that it has been recommended that Black men get tested earlier, but as Dr. Oh explains, with other guidelines this was often a footnote rather than the main aim of the work.
—Victoria Forster, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
And what follows this astonishing statement is a tangle of qualifications and irrelevancies trailing off into the footnotes.
—Leif Wenar, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024
That proved a footnote to a mission that thrilled Americans and Russians alike.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The doc elevates its status from footnote to gamechanger, reframing his time abroad as key to both personal growth and a creative level-up.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2024
Verb
Mere footnotes at the bottom of Brady’s pigskin curriculum vitae.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
Forgotten footnotes in the annals of sports history.
—Men's Health Editorial, Men's Health, 14 Aug. 2023
It’s not generally expected to footnote its references or adopt the citational rigor of nonfiction.
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023
Increasingly art schools, including Central Saint Martins and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), are teaching students to effectively footnote their mood boards.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2022
His argument is sophisticated and footnoted, but jargon-free and illustrated in a way that helps even readers with no economic training to follow it.
—The Economist, 12 Dec. 2019
That makes much of the display feel less like rewriting history than simply footnoting more thoroughly.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2019
Each section comes heavily footnoted, indicating the appearance of traditional folk tale motifs — taboos, odd coincidences.
—Parul Sehgal, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2019
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, 17 Aug. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'footnote.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
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Cite this Entry
“Footnote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/footnote. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
footnote
noun
foot·note
-ˌnōt
: a note of reference, explanation, or comment usually placed below the text on a printed page
footnote
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on footnote
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for footnote
Nglish: Translation of footnote for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of footnote for Arabic Speakers
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