footrace

noun

foot·​race ˈfu̇t-ˌrās How to pronounce footrace (audio)
: a race run by humans on foot

Examples of footrace in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The striker beat Byrne and Kahlina in a footrace, sliding the ball into the bottom right corner. — Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025 Scherzer, one of few pitchers who still runs foul poles after starts, was taking on players in their early-to-mid-20s to footraces after workouts. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026 Wiemer hit a slow ground ball to Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper in the first inning to continue his streak, then seemed to lose a narrow footrace to the bag. — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026 For Los Angeles law enforcement, the Baker to Vegas footrace is the premier sporting event of the year. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for footrace

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of footrace was in 1592

Rhymes for footrace

See All Rhymes for footrace

Browse Nearby Words

foot pump
footrace
foot racer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Footrace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/footrace. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

footrace

noun
foot·​race -ˌrās How to pronounce footrace (audio)
: a race run on foot

More from Merriam-Webster on footrace

Nglish: Translation of footrace for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All