toehold

Or toe-hold

[toh-hohld]

noun

1. a small ledge or niche just large enough to support the toes, as in climbing.

2. any slight or initial support, influence, advantage, progress, or the like.

   His knowledge of Latin gave him a toehold for learning French.

3. a batten nailed to a sloping roof as a support for workers.

4. Wrestling.,  a hold in which an opponent's foot is twisted.

toehold

/ ˈtəʊˌhəʊld /

noun

1. a small foothold to facilitate climbing

2. any means of gaining access, support, etc

   the socialist party gained a toehold in the local elections

3. a wrestling hold in which the opponent's toe is held and his leg twisted against the joints

Word History and Origins

Origin of toehold¹

First recorded in 1875–80; toe + hold ¹

Example Sentences

“It’s less a takeover than targeted toeholds,” said Craig Singleton, senior director of the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Ian Murray is Scottish Labour's longest serving MP – indeed for a while he was their only MP, the party's last toehold north of the border.

Read more on BBC

The government's second argument is that without a deal, China would get a toehold in the islands.

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Her ambitions have a toehold in reality — she dreams of someday managing a Norms franchise — so it’s no shock that her big job interview is scheduled that very afternoon.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

To keep progressing, one has to stay ahead of the thousands of others scrambling to get a toehold in the sport.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• footing 
• niche 
• perch