1
general::
noun place to put your foot when climbing ADJ. firm, secure VERB + FOOTHOLD have | find, get, scrabble for He found a secure foothold and pulled himself up. scrabbling for a foothold on the steep grassy bank | give sb The bench gave me the foothold I needed to climb into the tree. strong position for making further progress ADJ. firm, secure | permanent | big | small VERB + FOOTHOLD have | establish, gain, get, obtain, secure The company is trying to gain a foothold in the European market. | maintain | lose | regain | give (sb/sth), provide (sb with) I hope the textbook will provide a foothold for students of the subject. PREP. ~ in The firm has a firm foothold in this market.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
Phrase(s): *a foothold (somewhere)
Fig. an initial position of support; a starting point. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; help someone get ~.) • It’s difficult to get a foothold in the education market when schools are laying off teachers. • Max’s father helped him get a foothold in the textile industry.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs