fingerprint

noun fin·ger·print \ ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprint \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: fingerprint in a Sentence

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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fingerprint

transitive verb

See fingerprint defined for English-language learners

See fingerprint defined for kids

Examples of fingerprint in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of fingerprint from the Web

Remains of all the victims were identified after the crash, either through dental records, DNA or fingerprints.

— Fox News, "Remaining wreckage of Flight 93 is buried at memorial," 10 July 2018
There were no witnesses, no DNA, and no fingerprints to place him at the bloody scene where 20 rounds were fired in less than 10 seconds, defense attorney Adam Brent said.

— jan hefler, Philly.com, "It's now up to the jury. Did a N.J. man kill a child during a bloody Camden gang war?," 20 June 2018
These substances are surprisingly prevalent among the fingerprints of the general population.

— melanie bailey, Scientific American, "The Hidden Data in Your Fingerprints," 27 Apr. 2018
Now, the president* whose campaign was lousy with the fingerprints of the Volga Bagment wants to put guns behind his fantasies.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Trump's Latest Voter Suppression Plan Smells Dictatorial," 12 Mar. 2018
Then the Echo can compare live commands to the acoustic fingerprint of the snippet to determine whether the commands are authentic.

— brad stone, Fortune, "Why Your Echo Won’t Perk Up During Amazon's Super Bowl Ad," 3 Feb. 2018
The findings: There's no escape in Louisville from the fingerprints of climate change, as local temperatures climb and seasons are altered.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "'Misplaced' Arctic air sends Louisville into deep freeze, maybe thanks to climate change," 3 Jan. 2018
The fingerprints are then shared with local, state, and federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security, to determine the immigration status and criminal history of the adults, the policy says.

— liz goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Government begins returning migrant children to their parents," 6 July 2018
Scenes from the years ago flow seamlessly into Camille’s present, giving us one of television’s best-ever depictions of how the fingerprints of the past can be found all over the present.

— refinery29.com, "Sharp Objects Review: It’s Exactly What You Need During The Big Little Lies Drought," 5 July 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.

Illustration of fingerprint

First Known Use of fingerprint

1737

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

fingerprint Synonyms

Synonyms

attribute, attribution, character, characteristic, criterion, differentia, feature, hallmark, mark, marker, note, particularity, peculiarity, point, property, quality, specific, stamp, touch, trait;

Related Words

badge, indication, sign;

emblem, symbol, token;

charm, grace;

excellence, merit, virtue;

eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, oddity, quirk;

individuality, singularity, uniqueness;

FINGERPRINT Defined for English Language Learners

fingerprint

noun

Definition of fingerprint for English Language Learners

: 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

FINGERPRINT Defined for Kids

fingerprint

noun fin·ger·print \ ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprint \

Definition of fingerprint for Students

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

fingerprint

verb

Definition of fingerprint for Students

fingerprinted; fingerprinting

: to obtain fingerprints in order to identify a person

Medical Dictionary

fingerprint

noun fin·ger·print \ -ˌprint \

medical Definition of fingerprint

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

Illustration of fingerprint

fingerprint

transitive verb

medical Definition of fingerprint

: 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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fingerprinting

noun

Law Dictionary

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

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