Illustration of fingerprint
- 1 arch
- 2 loop
- 3 whorl
- 4 composite
fingerprint
noun
fin·ger·print
ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprint 
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
fingerprint
transitive verb
Synonyms
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 sunglasses also come with a soft microfiber carrying pouch for travel and a cleaning cloth to remove tiny fingerprint smudges.
—
Staff Author, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
The buttons are sturdy and responsive, while the fingerprint sensor is fairly reliable.
—PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
According to the medical examiner report, his body was identifiable only by his fingerprints.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
And there's that syringe, with Bob's blood and Jane's fingerprint, found in the bathroom garbage — something the appellate team, and Lents, thought could be explained.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2024
The fireplace rotates to provide entry to the room when a member of the family places a hand on a biometric touch pad that recognizes their fingerprints.
—Jane Margolies, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
Police said fingerprint evidence collected in the Wednesday case matched Lopez-Altan’s prints, which authorities had previously collected.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
On the other hand, there’s evidence that the way people walk—something high-quality radar might well detect—is as distinctive as a fingerprint.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
These unique digital certificates act as fingerprints, permanently attached to a wide array of digital creations, from captivating artwork and soul-stirring music to intricate virtual lands and exclusive collectibles.
—Kyle Russell, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024
Staff Author, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
The buttons are sturdy and responsive, while the fingerprint sensor is fairly reliable.
—PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
According to the medical examiner report, his body was identifiable only by his fingerprints.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
And there's that syringe, with Bob's blood and Jane's fingerprint, found in the bathroom garbage — something the appellate team, and Lents, thought could be explained.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2024
The fireplace rotates to provide entry to the room when a member of the family places a hand on a biometric touch pad that recognizes their fingerprints.
—Jane Margolies, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
Police said fingerprint evidence collected in the Wednesday case matched Lopez-Altan’s prints, which authorities had previously collected.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
On the other hand, there’s evidence that the way people walk—something high-quality radar might well detect—is as distinctive as a fingerprint.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
These unique digital certificates act as fingerprints, permanently attached to a wide array of digital creations, from captivating artwork and soul-stirring music to intricate virtual lands and exclusive collectibles.
—Kyle Russell, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fingerprint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fingerprint
Cite this Entry
“Fingerprint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fingerprint. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fingerprint
noun
fin·ger·print
ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprint
: the pattern of marks made by pressing the tip of a finger on a surface
especially
: a pattern of marks in ink of the lines on the tip of a finger taken for the purpose of identification
fingerprint
verb
fingerprinting
noun
-ˌprin-tiŋ
Medical Definition
fingerprint
1 of 2 noun
fin·ger·print
-ˌprint
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
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to analyze (as spectrographically or chromatographically) in order to determine uniquely the identifying characteristics, origin, or constitution of
each protein was fingerprinted
fingerprinting
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share