fingerprint

noun

fin·ger·print | \ ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprint

Definition of fingerprint

1 : the impression of a fingertip on any surface also : an ink impression of the lines upon the fingertip taken for the purpose of identification

2 : something that identifies: such as

a : a trait, trace, or characteristic revealing origin or responsibility

b : analytical evidence (such as a spectrogram) that characterizes an object or substance especially : the chromatogram or electrophoretogram obtained by cleaving a protein by enzymatic action and subjecting the resulting collection of peptides to two-dimensional chromatography or electrophoresis

c : the base-pair pattern in an individual's DNA obtained by DNA fingerprinting

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Examples of fingerprint in a Sentence

Detectives found his fingerprints all over the gun. Everyone has a unique fingerprint.

Recent Examples on the Web

The camera array is the only element on the back, as the fingerprint sensor now resides under the display. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Nokia 9 PureView hands-on: All of the cameras and none of the gimmicks," 24 Feb. 2019 The fingerprint checks also created a backlog of reviews. — Alicia A. Caldwell, WSJ, "A Texas Tent City for Migrant Children Is Closed," 11 Jan. 2019 Indicators are fingerprints left in a fire’s aftermath. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "Charred and Burned: The School That Turns Firefighters Into Fire Detectives," 4 Oct. 2018 The arrest reports are sketchy by any measure, listing no witnesses, fingerprint evidence, confessions or even property stolen. — Charles Rabin, Jay Weaver And David Ovalle, miamiherald, "The chief wanted perfect stats, so cops were told to pin crimes on blacks, probe found," 12 July 2018 Other technologies, involving things like microchip implants, fingerprint scans, and facial recognition, are even eliminating the need for phones and smartwatches. — Town & Country, "Is This the End of Cash?," 28 Jan. 2019 There’s pretty clear evidence that fingerprint experts are more accurate than lay people or novices. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "The dean of UCLA Law explains the uncertain future of forensic science," 20 Dec. 2018 The Russians didn’t leave DNA evidence on the server racks and fingerprints on the keyboards. — Aaron Rupar, Vox, "Every sentence of Trump’s tweet accusing Democrats of “collusion” with Russia is a lie," 15 Nov. 2018 However, Apple Watches do not have a fingerprint ID unlock function like iPhones. — Fox News, "Newspaper says Turkey has audio of Saudi writer's slaying," 14 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fingerprint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near fingerprint

Statistics for fingerprint

Last Updated

10 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for fingerprint

The first known use of fingerprint was in 1737

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More Definitions for fingerprint

fingerprint

noun

English Language Learners Definition of fingerprint

: the mark that is made by pressing the tip of a finger on a surface

: a mark of this kind made in ink for the purpose of identifying a person

: something (such as genetic material) that can be used to identify a person

See the full definition for fingerprint in the English Language Learners Dictionary

fingerprint

noun

fin·ger·print | \ ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprint

Kids Definition of fingerprint

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the unique pattern of marks made by pressing the tip of a finger on a surface

fingerprint

verb

fingerprinted; fingerprinting

Kids Definition of fingerprint (Entry 2 of 2)

: to obtain fingerprints in order to identify a person

fingerprint

noun

fin·ger·print | \ -ˌprint

Medical Definition of fingerprint

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the impression of a fingertip on any surface especially : an ink impression of the lines on the fingertip taken for purpose of identification

2 : analytical evidence (as a spectrogram) that characterizes an object or substance especially : the chromatogram or electrophoretogram obtained by cleaving a protein by enzymatic action and subjecting the resulting collection of peptides to two-dimensional chromatography or electrophoresis — compare dna fingerprinting

fingerprint

transitive verb

Medical Definition of fingerprint (Entry 2 of 2)

: to analyze (as spectrographically or chromatographically) in order to determine uniquely the identifying characteristics, origin, or constitution of each protein was fingerprinted

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fingerprint

noun

fin·ger·print

Legal Definition of fingerprint

: the impression of a fingertip on any surface also : an ink impression of the lines upon the fingertip taken for the purpose of identification (as during the booking procedure following an arrest) — see also dna fingerprinting