footsteps; sound of footsteps
Refers to the sound made by walking or running. Often used in expressions like 足音が聞こえる or 足音を立てる.
I heard someone's footsteps from the hallway.
He walked quietly so as not to make any footsteps.
approaching sign; harbinger
Figurative use: a sign or sense that something (often an event or change) is drawing near. Common in phrases like ～の足音が聞こえる.
I can sense spring approaching.
People felt that the footsteps of war were drawing near.
I heard the sound of someone's footsteps.
Signs of spring are already in the air.
The footsteps in the hallway got closer.
His footsteps faded away into the distance.