Definition of footholdnext
as in base
a place from which an advance (as for military operations) is made don't let the opposing team push us back down the field and gain a foothold

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of foothold The local voting also provides an opening for smaller parties, independents and outsider candidates to gain political footholds that would be far harder to achieve in national parliamentary races. Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 8 May 2026 Any individual who lied during the naturalization process to gain a foothold in this country will be met with the full weight of the Department of Justice. Luke Barr, ABC News, 8 May 2026 Small businesses struggle to establish a foothold and flourish in a brick and mortar. Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 6 May 2026 Monitoring humidity levels and keeping them lower can prevent mold from gaining a foothold in the first place. Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 2 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for foothold
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foothold
Noun
  • Climbers began gathering in April at the base camp, which is at an altitude of 17,340 feet.
    Pasang Rinzee Sherpa, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
  • The beach is situated along the Chesapeake Bay at the base of historic Fort Monroe, the largest masonry fortification in the United States.
    Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2026
Noun
  • There was always a good chance Mahomes would be ready for the team’s season opener, and the Chiefs provided an update recently saying Mahomes may be ready for training camp.
    Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • Harbaugh plans to run a grueling training camp to try to better prepare the Giants for their early season games, but reversing a decade-plus of bad organizational habits and starts might take time.
    Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
Noun
  • And by the turn of the twenty-first century, most of those tiny bungalows had been replaced by sprawling estates—fortresses for the entertainment elite, where Oscar trophies adorned mantels and wealth guarded from disaster.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
  • Its driver, Faisal, could not wait to see his father emerge a free man from this tan-colored fortress.
    Dan Barry, New York Times, 12 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Foothold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foothold. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

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