fingerprinting

noun

fin·​ger·​print·​ing ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌprin-tiŋ 

1

: the act or an instance of taking an ink impression of someone's fingerprints for the purpose of identification

sent him in for fingerprinting

also : identification using this process

But he was also concerned that fingerprinting was slipping out of the hands of men like himself whom he considered "scientists" and into the hands of men like Collins whom he regarded as poorly educated clerks.

—Simon Cole

2

: identification by analyzing characteristics unique to individuals

genetic fingerprinting

protein fingerprinting

Examples of fingerprinting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Canadians are exempt from fingerprinting, which applies to other foreign nationals, according to an immigration lawyer who spoke with ABC News. —Luke Barr, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2025

The app comes shortly after the Trump administration separately demanded that migrants in the country illegally must register with the government and submit to fingerprinting. —Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025

On-site interviews will be conducted, and fingerprinting may be completed the same day. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025

As of February 16th, fingerprinting has also been expanded to track all your devices — such as smart TVs and gaming consoles, providing a rich new seam of your data for the advertising industry to mine. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fingerprinting

• DNA fingerprinting
• genetic fingerprinting

Rhymes for fingerprinting

• glinting
• hinting
• minting
• printing
• splinting
• sprinting
• squinting
• tinting
• imprinting
• reprinting
• unstinting