foothold

noun

foot·​hold ˈfu̇t-ˌhōld How to pronounce foothold (audio)
Synonyms of footholdnext
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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And if life ever gained a foothold on the Red Planet, the team says these ancient river highways — which once carried nearly half the sediment Mars' rivers ever moved — may be the places where evidence of it still lingers. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Dec. 2025 Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Amazon on Wednesday committed to investing over $35 billion in India’s cloud and artificial intelligence space by 2030, as hyperscalers race to get a foothold in the market. Dylan Butts, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025 Higgins has received support from Florida Democrats looking to show the party still has a foothold in the formerly swing state. Adriana Gomez Licon, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025 Sudan’s dry season provides peak fighting conditions, and Dagalo has gained a major strategic foothold with the takeover last month of the Sudanese city of El Fasher, said Khair. Laura Kelly, The Hill, 29 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foothold

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foothold was circa 1577

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Cite this Entry

“Foothold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foothold. Accessed 14 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

foothold

noun
foot·​hold -ˌhōld How to pronounce foothold (audio)
1
: a hold for the feet : footing
2
: a position usable as a base for further advance

More from Merriam-Webster on foothold

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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