foothold

noun

foot·​hold ˈfu̇t-ˌhōld 

1

: a hold for the feet : footing

2

: a position usable as a base for further advance

The company secured a foothold in the market.

Synonyms of foothold

• base
• camp
• fortress

Examples of foothold in a Sentence

The army gained a foothold on the island.

The company has secured a foothold in the market.

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, testing the concept in people gives it a foothold beyond the laboratory demonstrations characterizing earlier approaches. — Mike McRae, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026

Independents who once had a strong foothold in legacy media may have the best chance of surviving. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026

Coach has had a strong foothold on the Lyst Index's top 20 Hottest Brands since the second quarter of 2024, an impressive feat, considering the rest of the list is composed of much pricier luxury brands like Chanel and Bottega Veneta. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Apple has been positioning its Mac lineup of desktops and laptops to provide the company a foothold in AI. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for foothold

• ahold
• behold
• billfold
• blindfold
• cajoled
• consoled
• controlled
• cotswold
• eightfold
• enfold
• enrolled
• extolled

Kids Definition

foothold

noun

foot·​hold -ˌhōld 

1

: a hold for the feet : footing

2

: a position usable as a base for further advance