toehold
noun
toe·hold
| \ ËtĆ-ËhĆld
\
\
Definition of toehold
1a
: a hold or place of support for the toes (as in climbing)
b(1)
: a means of progressing (as in surmounting barriers)
(2)
: a slight footing
used his money to get a toehold, then a foothold, then a near stranglehold on the political economy— R. W. Armstrong
2
: an illegal wrestling hold in which the aggressor bends or twists the other wrestler's foot
Examples of toehold in a Sentence
American companies looking for toeholds in foreign markets.
Recent Examples on the Web
Huang struck out on his own in China, founding an ecommerce consumer electronics site called Ouku, then sold it and started a marketing firm for foreign brands angling for a toehold on Chinese ecommerce platforms. — Wired, "China Has an Ecommerce Giant Youâve Never Heard Of," 9 Sep. 2019 To get a toehold, Shopify has enabled 17 languages on its platform besides English, including several Asian ones. — The Economist, "Shopify and the return of the merchant class," 31 Aug. 2019 While Singer had toeholds on numerous campuses, USC stands out: Four members of the schoolâs athletic department and 19 parents of USC students were charged in the case. — Los Angeles Times, "How Rick Singer tried to rope in USC legend Pat Haden amid admissions scandal," 30 Aug. 2019 In some schools in neighborhoods where the outbreak had gained a toehold, the vaccination rate had dropped below fifty per cent. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "The Message of Measles," 26 Aug. 2019 But June 6 was just one day; the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy merely a toehold. — Mark Yost, WSJ, "The Building Blocks of the D-Day Victory," 5 June 2019 Nine cab companies operate at DIA, which remains a big toehold for the industry as Uber and Lyft out-compete them even more heavily in the city. — Jon Murray, The Denver Post, "Uber, Lyft and the A-Line train have changed the game at DIA â shelving plans for more airport parking," 21 July 2019 With one foot in the conflicts of the Middle East and a toehold in Europe, its interests have not always easily aligned with an alliance originally forged as a Western European defense against the Soviets. — Carlotta Gall, BostonGlobe.com, "Turkey gets first shipment of Russian missile system, defying US," 12 July 2019 Neither seems to care much whether his words have a toehold in reality. — Washington Post, "ESPNâs new film says as much about America as it does about competitive eating," 1 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'toehold.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for toehold
toehold
noun
English Language Learners Definition of toehold
: a place where your toes may be placed when you are climbing a cliff, a mountain, etc.
: a position that makes it possible to begin an activity or effort
See the full definition for toehold in the English Language Learners Dictionary