fingerprinting

noun

fin·​ger·​print·​ing ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprin-tiŋ 

1

: the act or an instance of taking an ink impression of someone's fingerprints for the purpose of identification

sent him in for fingerprinting

also : identification using this process

But he was also concerned that fingerprinting was slipping out of the hands of men like himself whom he considered "scientists" and into the hands of men like Collins whom he regarded as poorly educated clerks.

—Simon Cole

2

: identification by analyzing characteristics unique to individuals

genetic fingerprinting

protein fingerprinting

Examples of fingerprinting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Digital fingerprinting collates an array of data from your phone — your IP address, device model and OS, time zone, setup and anything else if can get — to create a unique identifier in aggregate, even if each individual data snippet us useless on its own. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

The tool’s features include device fingerprinting, a method of identifying information about the device accessing the application, such as IP addresses and the user’s time zone. —Edsource, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025

The administration has required fingerprinting from sponsors and any adults living in the home where children are released. —Valerie Gonzalez, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025

The company said O’Toole had a clean record when he was hired and completed all mandatory background checks, including a comprehensive criminal record search and a federal fingerprinting process. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fingerprinting

• DNA fingerprinting
• genetic fingerprinting

Rhymes for fingerprinting

• glinting
• hinting
• minting
• printing
• splinting
• sprinting
• squinting
• tinting
• imprinting
• reprinting
• unstinting