fingerprint

American  

[fing-ger-print] / ˈfɪŋ gərˌprɪnt /

noun

fingerprints plural

1. an impression of the markings of the inner surface of the last joint of the thumb or other finger.

2. such an impression made with ink for purposes of identification.

3. any unique or distinctive pattern that presents unambiguous evidence of a specific person, substance, disease, etc.

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verb (used with object)

fingerprints, present (3rd person singular) fingerprinted, past participle, past fingerprinting present participle

1. to take or record the fingerprints of.

fingerprint British  

/ ˈfɪŋɡəˌprɪnt /

noun

1. an impression of the pattern of ridges on the palmar surface of the end joint of each finger and thumb

2. any identifying characteristic

3. biochem the pattern of fragments obtained when a protein is digested by a proteolytic enzyme, usually observed following two-dimensional separation by chromatography and electrophoresis

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verb

1. (tr) to take an inked impression of the fingerprints of (a person)

2. to take a sample of (a person's) DNA

fingerprint Cultural  

1. The impression or mark left by the underside of the tips of the fingers or thumbs. The impression is formed by a pattern of ridges on the skin surface. This pattern is unique for each individual and therefore can serve as a means of identification. (Compare DNA fingerprinting.)

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Discover More

Fingerprinting is used extensively in criminal investigation, but it is also used as a means of identification by many organizations.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fingerprints
  plural

Participles

• fingerprinting
  present
• fingerprinted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fingerprint
  simple
• fingerprints
  simple
• have fingerprinted
  perfect
• has fingerprinted
  perfect
• am fingerprinting
  progressive
• are fingerprinting
  progressive
• is fingerprinting
  progressive
• have been fingerprinting
  perfect progressive
• has been fingerprinting
  perfect progressive

Past

• fingerprinted
  simple
• had fingerprinted
  perfect
• was fingerprinting
  progressive
• were fingerprinting
  progressive
• had been fingerprinting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fingerprint
  simple
• will have fingerprinted
  perfect
• will be fingerprinting
  progressive
• will have been fingerprinting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of fingerprint

First recorded in 1855–60; finger + print

Explanation

The impression or mark that your finger makes on a surface is a fingerprint. And the one-of-a-kind pattern of raised whorls and lines on your fingertip? That's also a fingerprint. The earliest attempts to identify people using the prints their fingers made were in the 1820s, and by 1834 the word fingerprint came into use. To fingerprint someone is to press their finger into a pad of ink and then onto paper; after an arrest, the resulting fingerprints are put on file. The pattern on a person's fingertip is nearly unique, distinct, and won't change during their lifetime, making it a useful way to confirm someone's identity.

Example Sentences

Fingerprint and DNA tests failed to find any matches.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2025

A crime-scene tech, Stacy Cannady, located the original cards and ran the fingerprints through the nationwide Automated Fingerprint Identification System, a database that was implemented in 1999, more than 15 years after Reyos was convicted.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2023

Fingerprint data has to be shared and matched by different governments.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2022

Angry letters poured in to Fingerprint Whorld, the professional journal of which Charlton was editor.

From Science Magazine • May 12, 2022

In connection with the Latent Fingerprint Section there is maintained a general appearance file of many confidence game operators.

From The Science of Fingerprints Classification and Uses by Hoover, J. Edgar (John Edgar)