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🚪 A starting position 🧗 A small foothold 🤼 A foot lock
toehold

toehold

1 6.9
A small ledge where a toe can rest to help you climb
  • noun
  • /ˈtoʊˌhoʊld/
translation icon : apoyo
  • She works her way slowly down, trying to find knee and toeholds on the foul walls, ignoring the flies invading her ears and nostrils.
  • feet searching for toeholds
  • found a toehold
  • toeholds in the rock

Examples

  • Slowly, I raised one foot, found a higher toehold, lifted my body, and secured the other foot.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Even if I got into the yard, the fence has no toeholds.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Barnes's feet slipped on the chain links, then he got a toehold and pulled himself up.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A new toehold, another pull, a higher purchase... clawing and clambering, he ascended the wall.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The grip he had was a solid one, and there was a toehold below, on a shank of metal coming out of the car, a piece of broken hardware with no apparent use.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Young, agile, and bright with anticipation, she swung her leg over the sill, found a toehold in the trellis mad with vining wisteria.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Gingerly reaching down and taking off each shoe in turn, he tossed it to the upper path; then, inch by inch, grasping at scrub and grasses and working his feet into any toehold he could find, he gained the path himself.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Bryn duly disappeared over the lip, negotiating toeholds and finger grips, grunting occasionally and chattering happily.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Finding a solid toehold on the cliff, he felt confident enough to continue his climb.

  • She tested her foot against the small toehold, ensuring it was secure before moving up.

Synonyms

footing
vstoehold
26 4.1

A steady place to put your foot so you do not fall

is a tiny ledge meant for only the toe rather than a full position
foothold
vstoehold
6 3.6

A place where you can put your foot securely when standing or climbing

is a much smaller ledge that supports only the toe

How Secure

platform
90 1.6
foothold
6 3.6
toehold
1 6.9

Surface Forms

toehold singular
toeholds plural

Morphology

toehold = toe + hold (transparent) = toe + hold

Literal compound 'toe' + 'hold' describing a small support for the toe; meaning is directly derived from the components.

Etymology

The word toehold is made of toe and hold, meaning a 'hold' for the 'toe'. Think of a tiny ledge where you put your toe to climb, which is why it means a small support or ledge for the toe when climbing.