From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtoeholdtoe‧hold /ˈtəʊhəʊld $ ˈtoʊhoʊld/ noun 1 [singular]START DOING something your first involvement in a particular activity, from which you can develop and become strongertoehold in The company has gained a toehold in the competitive computer market.2 [countable]DSO a place on a rock where you can put your foot when you are climbing
Examples from the Corpus
toehold• It will thus earn a toehold in the moral company of animals; something that Singer could not accept.• And there are also foreign firms, Netto and Aldi, who are trying to get a toehold here.• And of course the fact that luck is always involved somewhere gives the sceptic a toehold too.• Minorities say they've gotten a small toehold in broadcasting.From Longman Business Dictionarytoeholdtoe‧hold /ˈtəʊhəʊldˈtoʊhoʊld/ noun [singular] someone’s first involvement in a particular business activity from which they can develop and become strongerThe company has struggled for a toehold in the fiercely competitive PC market. 