toehold

noun toe·hold \ ˈtō-ˌhōld \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of toehold

1 a : a hold or place of support for the toes (as in climbing)

b (1) : a means of progressing (as in surmounting barriers)

(2) : a slight footing

used his money to get a toehold, then a foothold, then a near stranglehold on the political economy
—R. W. Armstrong

2 : an illegal wrestling hold in which the aggressor bends or twists the other wrestler's foot

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Examples of toehold in a Sentence

American companies looking for toeholds in foreign markets.

Recent Examples of toehold from the Web

Jasmine Golphin, the outreach manager at the film festival, said the program is about enabling minority girls to figure out how to get a toehold in a tough, highly competitive industry that might seem off limits.

— steven litt, cleveland.com, "Film Festival program encourages minority girls to pursue careers in a majority white male industry (photos)," 8 Apr. 2018
Trump’s inauguration last year brought anxiety to a community already buffeted by economic changes that had ripped away many of the toeholds that immigrants once relied upon to start new lives.

— www.latimes.com, "A Dream Displaced," 29 Mar. 2018
For Putin, a Syrian expedition would show off Russian military prowess, safeguard Moscow's toehold in the Mediterranean and outmaneuver the Obama administration.

— tim lister, CNN, "Assad may win Syria's war, but he will preside over a broken country," 15 Mar. 2018
That kept Montreal from finding a toehold into the game.

— dave hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hyde: "Loooo" for Luongo is chorus of Panthers playoff hopes," 9 Mar. 2018
The first-term senator’s line of attack on the new tax cuts could well be pivotal in her fight to hold her seat and maintain the Democrats’ toehold in deeply Republican North Dakota.

— Washington Post, "In ND Senate race, Democrat Heitkamp takes GOP tone on taxes," 1 Mar. 2018
Stone chips detract from the appearance of your car but also can provide toeholds for rust to begin.

— paul wright, Popular Mechanics, "How to Repair Car Paint Chips," 26 Feb. 2018
Huawei and Chinese telecom firms have long struggled to gain a toehold in the U.S. market, partly because of U.S. government pressure on potential U.S. partners.

— reuters, Fortune, "U.S. Lawmakers Are Urging AT&T to Cut Ties with Huawei Because of National Security Concerns," 16 Jan. 2018
Since at least 2015, the group’s fighters have gained a toehold in eastern Afghanistan, near the country’s border with Pakistan.

— gordon lubold, WSJ, "Mattis, in Afghanistan, Criticizes Iranian and Russian Aid to Taliban," 27 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'toehold.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of toehold

1880

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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TOEHOLD Defined for English Language Learners

toehold

noun

Definition of toehold for English Language Learners

: a place where your toes may be placed when you are climbing a cliff, a mountain, etc.
: a position that makes it possible to begin an activity or effort