foothold
a place or support for the feet; a place where a person may stand or walk securely.
a secure position, especially a firm basis for further progress or development: They gained a foothold in the New York market before beginning their national campaign.
Origin of foothold
1Words Nearby foothold
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use foothold in a sentence
A perfect vaccine would create what is called “sterilizing” immunity, which means the virus can’t get a foothold in your body at all.
So you got the vaccine. Can you still infect people? Pfizer is trying to find out. | Stephanie Arnett | February 2, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewWe didn’t recognize it until it already had its foothold because it was novel, and we weren’t looking for it.
U.S. response to coronavirus variants emphasizes masks and vaccines instead of lockdowns | Fenit Nirappil, Brittany Shammas | February 2, 2021 | Washington PostKirsten has done amazing work, helping to elevate our foothold in the transportation space and making our Mobility events some of the most successful we’ve produced.
Welcome Tage Kene-Okafor, Mary Ann Azevedo, Sophie Burkholder and a guy named Drew | Matthew Panzarino | February 2, 2021 | TechCrunchMany of the attacks gained initial footholds by password spraying to compromise individual email accounts at targeted organizations.
30% of “SolarWinds hack” victims didn’t actually use SolarWinds | Jim Salter | January 29, 2021 | Ars TechnicaApple started making iPhones in India in 2017 to comply with local sourcing rules and to establish a bigger foothold in the market.
The area is 98 percent white, and the Klan has a strong foothold even to this very day.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face? | Goldie Taylor | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFor decades, the Chinese government has had a foothold on the African continent.
[Laughs] But, yes, I suppose Scientology has more of a foothold there than it does here.
Paul Haggis on Scientology, the ‘Crash’ Oscar, and ‘Third Person’ | Kevin Fallon | June 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEvery time one fails to find a firm foothold, there is a danger of falling, sometimes to alarming depths.
It would allow the old way of doing things to regain a foothold in this young century.
Likewise your Majesty will have shelter for his vessels, and a foothold in that country, which abounds with meat and rice.
On these shallows water-loving plants and even certain trees, such as the willows and poplars, find a foothold.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerHe liked money, and what it would bring him, and if he had been sure of his foothold he would have been very happy.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesThey clung to it here and there with their hands while they felt for a foothold among the banks of gravel.
The Gold Trail | Harold BindlossI leaped and caught the bottom rung of a fire escape, pulled myself up until I could get a foothold.
British Dictionary definitions for foothold
/ (ˈfʊtˌhəʊld) /
a ledge, hollow, or other place affording a secure grip for the foot, as during climbing
a secure position from which further progress may be made: a foothold for a successful career
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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