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

Rogers, now a partner in the technology giant’s enterprise cloud division, and Monaco, who was tapped to be the firm’s global affairs president, took actions that helped GCC obtain and maintain a lucrative foothold within the federal government. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 23 Mar. 2026

Uniquely massive demand for the drugs from 2022 until early 2025 allowed compounders to gain a foothold in the first place. —Christopher Rowland The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 21 Mar. 2026

Old Town Pizza has spent a decade trying to secure a foothold in downtown Roseville. —Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 21 Mar. 2026

Foreign investment gained momentum and global streamers maintained their foothold in French film financing in 2025 while big-budget productions dropped by half, according to a report unveiled by the National Film Board (CNC). —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 20 Mar. 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