toehold

noun

toe·​hold ˈtō-ˌhōld 

1

a

: 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

After years of refining their respective processes, these companies now hope to gain a toehold in markets for EV and smartphone batteries dominated by such giants as CATL, Panasonic, and Samsung. —IEEE Spectrum, 12 Sep. 2024

In those early days, scientists weren’t sure that wolves would regain a toehold in the American West. —Ben Long, The Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2024

And while Peacock isn’t frequently involved in the increasingly common bidding wars, which have ratcheted up to eight figures for top comics, the platform has maintained a toehold with specials including Kevin Hart’s last hour. —Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2024

Since the summer of 2014, ISIS has exploited a governance vacuum and a factional civil war in Libya to expand what was once just a toehold into a foothold. —Frederic Wehrey, Foreign Affairs, 7 Feb. 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

toehold

noun

toe·​hold ˈtō-ˌhōld 

: a hold or support for the toes (as in climbing)