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
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Recent Examples of footholds
Sleeping upside down Once Orion reached Earth orbit after launch, two of the crew seats, as well as the footholds of the other two seats, were stowed away and will remain that way until reentry at the mission’s end.
—
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 7 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
That can mean gaining multiple footholds, altering authentication settings or gaining access via third parties.
—William Akoto, The Conversation, 2 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
Flags, footprints and footholds There was no single Apollo mission that matched what Artemis 2 is going to do, but that's not the only difference between the moon missions of 50 years ago and today.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Russian war bloggers expect a new Moscow effort to create more footholds in the southern Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
From these footholds, Indonesian special forces organized and launched offensives against Fretilin to force its retreat.
—Agathe Demarolle, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
In the later stage of the challenge, tribes were tasked with finding a way to climb a steep ramp with no footholds to reach a puzzle platform.
—Keisha Rowe, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Feb. 2026
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 7 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
That can mean gaining multiple footholds, altering authentication settings or gaining access via third parties.
—William Akoto, The Conversation, 2 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
Flags, footprints and footholds There was no single Apollo mission that matched what Artemis 2 is going to do, but that's not the only difference between the moon missions of 50 years ago and today.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Russian war bloggers expect a new Moscow effort to create more footholds in the southern Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
From these footholds, Indonesian special forces organized and launched offensives against Fretilin to force its retreat.
—Agathe Demarolle, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
In the later stage of the challenge, tribes were tasked with finding a way to climb a steep ramp with no footholds to reach a puzzle platform.
—Keisha Rowe, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footholds
Noun
-
The Chinese government launched a brutal crackdown in Xinjiang starting in 2017, sweeping a million or more Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnicities into prisons and internment camps.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
For years, many of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority have embarked on rickety wooden boats to try to reach neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, in a bid to flee persecution in Myanmar or overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Surface tanks are targets; subsurface reservoirs are fortresses.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
France believed its Maginot Line of fortresses was impregnable – until the Germans simply went around it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Feb. 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
-
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio stations and available television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
For instance, portraits of Kim II Sung, the founder and supreme leader of North Korea, and Kim Jong Il, the father of current leader Kim Jong Un, are mandatory in public places like train stations, hospitals, schools and factories.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This summer, the mayor says recreational centers will begin hosting midnight basketball.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The free, one-day event centers on independent comic creators, cosplay, and beginner-friendly Dungeons and Dragons, offering a smaller, more focused alternative to traditional conventions.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Footholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footholds. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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