footholds

noun

plural of foothold
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of footholds The eldest among them had established early footholds in their careers before COVID hit. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 July 2026 As millions of Venezuelan refugees moved through Latin America, Tren de Aragua established criminal footholds along migration corridors, extending its reach into Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador and eventually the United States. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 The latest report, from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, also traced how Russia and Rwanda have established economic and security footholds in CAR alongside UAE trading networks. — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 June 2026 Meanwhile, some of America’s largest AI companies have also established footholds on campus. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 28 May 2026 The local voting also provides an opening for smaller parties, independents and outsider candidates to gain political footholds that would be far harder to achieve in national parliamentary races. — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 8 May 2026 The second generation, which began in the early 2000s, saw K-pop gain footholds in regional markets like China, Japan and Southeast Asia. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 2 May 2026 The fact is that recent or older series can gain new footholds with modern viewers who haven’t seen them. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026 Additional footholds in Aspen and Hawaii follow a familiar pattern of buying adjacent homes within the same enclave. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footholds
  1. bases
  2. camps
  3. fortresses
  4. bridgeheads
  5. stations
  6. centers
Noun
  • Athletics The Athletics are led by DH Brent Rooker, who hit 39 homers and stole 11 bases last year, and right fielder Lawrence Butler, an emerging star who added 22 homers and 18 steals.
    — Jim Bowden, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Washington Nationals The Nationals should take the next step forward as their young nucleus, led by shortstop CJ Abrams, who hit 20 homers and stole 31 bases last year, continues to develop and improve.
    — Jim Bowden, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of bases
Noun
  • More than 19,000 people were sheltering in tents, evacuation centers and makeshift camps after the earthquake struck off Flores early Saturday, damaging at least 4,500 homes, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Many of England’s players only arrived at their club’s pre-season camps at the beginning of August, three weeks after many sides saw the bulk of their squads return.
    — George Edwards, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of camps
Noun
  • The area’s landscape charms visitors with its green hills, rural farmland, and dramatic medieval castles and fortresses.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The two studio lots also boast dozens of soundstages; century-old fortresses that would not be easily duplicated.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fortresses
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
Definition of bridgeheads
Noun
  • Yellowstone is monitored using seismometers, GPS stations, satellite observations, and instruments that track water and gas chemistry.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Trains were not running between the Millbrae and Colma stations in the San Francisco, Richmond, SFO and Millbrae directions.
    — Jose Fabian, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of stations
Noun
  • The system aims to give security operations centers a higher-confidence signal.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • France’s new law has raised concerns in Morocco, where the minister of employment, Younes Sekkouri, told lawmakers up 50,000 jobs were at risk in the country’s call centers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of centers

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foothold
footholds
footing
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Cite this Entry

“Footholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footholds. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on footholds

Nglish: Translation of footholds for Spanish Speakers

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