toehold
or toe-hold
a small ledge or niche just large enough to support the toes, as in climbing.
any slight or initial support, influence, advantage, progress, or the like: His knowledge of Latin gave him a toehold for learning French.
a batten nailed to a sloping roof as a support for workers.
Wrestling. a hold in which an opponent's foot is twisted.
Origin of toehold
1Words Nearby toehold
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use toehold in a sentence
In mid-November, just before the variant had established a toehold in many areas of the country, less than half of eligible seniors—of whom 87% had been fully vaccinated at the time—had received a booster.
These Charts Show That COVID-19 is Still the Pandemic of the Unvaccinated | Emily Barone | January 12, 2022 | TimeIn terms of really helping some of the big brands just get a toehold into the gaming environment and start to understand that this really is the new landscape for the next couple of decades, I think our team has done a phenomenal job there.
Case Study: How SuperAwesome helped brands and developers engage young audiences safely in 2021 | Alexander Lee | December 21, 2021 | DigidayOnce the virus gains a toehold, the body unleashes a wave of immune troops to fight it off.
Will we all need COVID-19 booster shots? | Erin Garcia de Jesús | June 21, 2021 | Science News For StudentsAt minimum, scientists believe that under the right conditions similar life forms could find a toehold on outer solar system moons too.
Extraterrestrial Life Could Be Hiding in Our Galaxy’s Interior Ocean Worlds | Jason Dorrier | March 21, 2021 | Singularity HubIn someone who is vaccinated, mutations that even slightly evade the body’s immune response can get a toehold.
Bringing COVID-19 vaccines to much of world is hard | Jonathan Lambert | March 16, 2021 | Science News For Students
Titanic moved along, with a stronger toehold on history than ever.
His victory would give the hard right a significant toehold in Richmond.
Find a product that gives it a toehold and build from there.
Can Microsoft Come Back? Dan Lyons’s Month Without Apple and Google | Dan Lyons | April 9, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTLunatic right-wing “birthers” have gotten a toehold on CNN and Fox News, and even the McCain campaign investigated their claims.
I took one look at his smile and understood—Debra had established a toehold in Liberty Square.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom | Cory DoctorowTremont hooked a foot under a toehold to maintain his position facing a mirror.
Satellite System | Horace Brown FyfeHooking into the solid green water of that eddy, Andy found himself a toehold, and presently clambered out.
Down the Columbia | Lewis R. FreemanIn China the stock exchanges have a mere toehold on the country; in Japan they have become the spine of national life.
Government in Republican China | Paul Myron Anthony LinebargerHe searched the rear hull, looking for some break in the polished metal that might serve as a toehold.
Gold in the Sky | Alan Edward Nourse
British Dictionary definitions for toehold
/ (ˈtəʊˌhəʊld) /
a small foothold to facilitate climbing
any means of gaining access, support, etc: the socialist party gained a toehold in the local elections
a wrestling hold in which the opponent's toe is held and his leg twisted against the joints
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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