as in bases
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 footholds
Far from being regarded as academic exercises or theoretical explorations, venturing programs are proving themselves fundamental to the long-term vitality of organizations globally, gaining footholds in Asia, Europe, Australia, and across the Americas.
—
Serguei Netessine, Fortune, 28 May 2026
Meanwhile, some of America’s largest AI companies have also established footholds on campus.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 28 May 2026
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
The second generation, which began in the early 2000s, saw K-pop gain footholds in regional markets like China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
The fact is that recent or older series can gain new footholds with modern viewers who haven’t seen them.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Additional footholds in Aspen and Hawaii follow a familiar pattern of buying adjacent homes within the same enclave.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2026
While the commitments to long-term space are notable, the decisions are a mix of maintaining footholds and new growth.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2026
In between all that, the host also managed to explain that everyone would be broken up into three groups, with each group going to Tribal Council, and the person who could last longest on narrow footholds for each group would win individual immunity.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
Serguei Netessine, Fortune, 28 May 2026
Meanwhile, some of America’s largest AI companies have also established footholds on campus.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 28 May 2026
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
The second generation, which began in the early 2000s, saw K-pop gain footholds in regional markets like China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
The fact is that recent or older series can gain new footholds with modern viewers who haven’t seen them.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Additional footholds in Aspen and Hawaii follow a familiar pattern of buying adjacent homes within the same enclave.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2026
While the commitments to long-term space are notable, the decisions are a mix of maintaining footholds and new growth.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2026
In between all that, the host also managed to explain that everyone would be broken up into three groups, with each group going to Tribal Council, and the person who could last longest on narrow footholds for each group would win individual immunity.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footholds
Noun
-
Part of the funding model involves designing and selling sportswear globally, which are also worn in the camps.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
-
Nearly 1 million people live in dense displacement camps in the province.—
Emmet Livingstone,
NPR,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The trailers show that Eternia was once a vibrant alien-like world with multi-colored forests, massive mountains and fortresses with towering faces carved into their entrances.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Ukraine has sought to derail the Kremlin’s plans by launching counterattacks in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, where Russian forces have sought to carve out bridgeheads with an aim to advance toward the regional capitals, which are key industrial hubs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The agency said some stations where installation remains under construction may still have old gates or nearby emergency doors open temporarily to ensure system access.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
-
DirecTV also noted Scripps’ removal of 40 stations from Comcast Xfinity in 19 markets for over a month, starting April 1.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
The company has benefited from the buildout of AI infrastructure as data centers demand greater networking capacity to move information between increasingly powerful computing clusters.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
-
SoftBank’s initial investment plans to deliver data centers in Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain.—
Benoit Berthelot,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Footholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footholds. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
