as in characteristics
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind
regards a sense of permanence as one of the fingerprints of a civilized society
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Recent Examples of fingerprints
Thomas was able to flee and the Maserati that was seen driving was later found torched, but authorities were still able to take fingerprints and DNA from the vehicle that matched Thomas, Pekara said.
—
William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Maroni also highlighted how possible suspects were quickly ruled out, including a man whose fingerprints were found on the hood of Pata’s car.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
Wipe down weekly to remove dust and sticky fingerprints.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Agents ran his fingerprints through Border Patrol databases and determined his true identity, as well as the outstanding Sacramento County warrant for the Elk Grove case.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 1 Mar. 2026
The billionaire virologist has his fingerprints all over the series.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Long-wavelength gravity anomalies are fingerprints of interior dynamics — clues to how heat escapes a planet, how dense material sinks and how buoyant material rises.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Splatters, fingerprints, and smudges are a common struggle everyone faces with reading glasses, sunglasses, and blue-light glasses.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
A little soapy water can help remove grease and dirt, as well as fingerprints from knobs and pulls.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Maroni also highlighted how possible suspects were quickly ruled out, including a man whose fingerprints were found on the hood of Pata’s car.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
Wipe down weekly to remove dust and sticky fingerprints.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Agents ran his fingerprints through Border Patrol databases and determined his true identity, as well as the outstanding Sacramento County warrant for the Elk Grove case.
—Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 1 Mar. 2026
The billionaire virologist has his fingerprints all over the series.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026
Long-wavelength gravity anomalies are fingerprints of interior dynamics — clues to how heat escapes a planet, how dense material sinks and how buoyant material rises.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Splatters, fingerprints, and smudges are a common struggle everyone faces with reading glasses, sunglasses, and blue-light glasses.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
A little soapy water can help remove grease and dirt, as well as fingerprints from knobs and pulls.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fingerprints
Noun
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The motion to disqualify Robinson, at this point an allegation, touches upon one of the defining characteristics of the Supreme Court — that discussions among judges when deliberating over decisions are confidential.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Every building has distinguishing characteristics.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The competing hypotheses, which seek to identify common traits between Little Foot and any of these species, highlight why the fossil continues to be such a rich resource of information that could contain clues to human evolution.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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This late in the draft, the Colts — like pretty much every team — are swinging on traits.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These Rains cargo pants are a genius way to stay dry in style on a wet, chilly day, with a waterproof exterior, plus useful features like a comfortable drawstring waist and large rain-safe pockets.—
Alexandra Pereira,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps Little Foot’s lineage was more closely related to East African hominins, while South African hominins evolved distinct facial features later on, the authors wrote in the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Below, designers share how to make a staircase look timeless and design-forward—plus the qualities that can make a staircase look quickly dated.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
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Many of the qualities required to be a phenomenal investor are present in AI, which can absorb endless data, recognize historical patterns, and operate entirely free of human greed, fear, or fads.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Luckily for investigators, the plant has some appropriately spooky attributes.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
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Individual results may vary depending on patient-specific attributes and other factors.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Political discussions on social media are often dominated by competing attributions of more and more insidious motives to people on the other side.—
Mark Schroeder,
The Conversation,
20 Feb. 2026
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This post was corrected on 21 January 2021 to clarify attributions.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Jan. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Fingerprints.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fingerprints. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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