fingerprint
gb/fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/ us/fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
B1
English
~ 8500
ujjlenyomat, kézjegy, digitális ujjlenyomat, ujjlenyomatot vesz, digitális ujjlenyomatot készít
NOUN
B1
1
ujjlenyomat
B1
Usage pattern:
a fingerprint on [something]
Investigators found a clear fingerprint on the broken window.
A nyomozók egy jól kivehető ujjlenyomatot találtak a betört ablakon.
The glass had his fingerprint on it, proving he had touched it.
A poháron rajta volt az ujjlenyomata, ami bizonyította, hogy hozzáért.
Because the fingerprint was only partial, it was hard to identify the suspect.
The thief wiped the door handle to remove any fingerprints.
Technicians dusted the table and revealed several latent fingerprints.
Learner examples
The police found a fingerprint on the door.
A rendőrség ujjlenyomatot talált az ajtón.
Her fingerprint was on the phone screen.
Az ujjlenyomata rajta volt a telefon képernyőjén.
There was a clear fingerprint on the glass.
They cleaned the room to remove all fingerprints.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "finger print" as two words. The correct spelling is one word: "fingerprint". They may also confuse "fingerprint" (the mark) with "footprint" (the mark of a foot).
Meaning
mark of a finger on a surface
Collocations
leave a fingerprint
|find a fingerprint
|latent fingerprint
|partial fingerprint
|lift a fingerprint
|match a fingerprint
Synonyms
print (Short form often used in police or forensic contexts; less specific outside that context.)
Themes
crime
|police
|science
|body
|law
Definition
A mark your finger leaves on something you touch, which can show who touched it.
A mark or impression left on a surface by a fingertip, showing the fingertip’s ridge pattern and often used for identification.
NOUN
B1
2
ujjlenyomat
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s fingerprints
All new employees must provide their fingerprints for security records.
Minden új alkalmazottnak meg kell adnia az ujjlenyomatát a biztonsági nyilvántartáshoz.
The suspect’s fingerprints were already in the national database.
A gyanúsított ujjlenyomatai már szerepeltek az országos adatbázisban.
Identical twins have different fingerprints, even though they share the same DNA.
Border control officers scanned his fingerprints before letting him through.
The school stores parents’ fingerprints to allow them to enter the building.
Learner examples
The police took his fingerprints at the station.
A rendőrség ujjlenyomatot vett tőle az őrsön.
Her fingerprints are in the police computer.
Az ujjlenyomatai benne vannak a rendőrség számítógépes rendszerében.
They used his fingerprints to find out who he was.
Your fingerprints are different from my fingerprints.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that "fingerprints" here usually refers to the whole set of finger patterns, often used in the plural. Saying "they took his fingerprint" is understandable but less natural than "they took his fingerprints".
Meaning
person’s unique finger patterns
Collocations
take fingerprints
|have fingerprints on file
|compare fingerprints
|store fingerprints
|fingerprint database
|fingerprint records
Synonyms
biometric data (More formal and general; includes other body-based identifiers, not only fingerprints.)
Antonyms
anonymity (If someone is anonymous, there is no identifying information like fingerprints connected to them.)
Themes
crime
|identity
|police
|body
|law
Definition
The special lines on a person’s fingers that are different for everyone and can be used to know who they are.
The complete set of unique ridge patterns on a person’s fingertips, used to identify that person.
NOUN
B2
3
kézjegy
B2
Usage pattern:
the fingerprints of [someone/something] on [something]
The director’s fingerprints are all over this film, from the music to the camera work.
A rendező kézjegye az egész filmen érződik, a zenétől az operatőri munkáig.
Experts could see the fingerprints of Russian hackers in the code used for the attack.
A szakértők az orosz hackerek kézjegyét vélték felfedezni a támadáshoz használt kódban.
The report bore the clear fingerprints of the marketing department.
This policy has the fingerprints of corporate lobbyists all over it.
The designer’s fingerprints are visible in every detail of the product.
Learner examples
This movie has the director’s fingerprints on every scene.
Ezen a filmen minden jelenetben érződik a rendező kézjegye.
I can see the manager’s fingerprints on this plan.
Érződik ezen a terven a vezető kézjegye.
The hacker’s fingerprints are in the computer code.
Her fingerprints are on all of the company’s ads.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes take this metaphor literally and think it always refers to physical fingers. In this sense, it is about a style or influence, not an actual mark. It is also often used in the phrase "someone’s fingerprints are all over [something]" to mean strong influence.
Meaning
distinctive sign of origin
Collocations
have the fingerprints of
|bear the fingerprints of
|see the fingerprints of
|political fingerprints
|stylistic fingerprints
Synonyms
hallmark (Very similar meaning; slightly more formal and often used for positive or defining qualities.)
|
signature (Often used before a noun (e.g., "signature style") to mean a distinctive quality, like this sense of "fingerprint".)
Antonyms
neutrality (If something shows no clear influence or style from any side, it lacks the "fingerprints" of a particular person or group.)
Themes
metaphor
|arts
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A special sign or style that shows who made or caused something.
A clearly recognizable and distinctive feature that shows the influence or origin of a person, group, or process.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
4
Usage pattern:
a fingerprint of [data/device]
The software calculates a cryptographic fingerprint for each downloaded file.
A szoftver minden letöltött fájlhoz kriptográfiai ujjlenyomatot számít ki.
Websites can track users by creating a unique browser fingerprint based on their settings.
A weboldalak a böngésző beállításai alapján egyedi böngésző-ujjlenyomatot hozhatnak létre, és így követhetik a felhasználókat.
Each device has a digital fingerprint that allows the system to recognize it.
The certificate fingerprint is shown so users can verify the server’s identity.
They compared the image fingerprints to detect duplicate photos.
Learner examples
Your phone has a digital fingerprint on the network.
A telefonodnak digitális ujjlenyomata van a hálózaton.
The program makes a fingerprint of each file.
A program minden fájlról digitális ujjlenyomatot készít.
A browser fingerprint can show who you are online.
The website uses a fingerprint to find the same photo again.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the physical fingerprint on a sensor. In this sense, it is a digital pattern or code, not an image of a finger. It is most common in technical IT and security texts.
Meaning
digital code that identifies data
Collocations
digital fingerprint
|browser fingerprint
|device fingerprint
|cryptographic fingerprint
|unique fingerprint
|generate a fingerprint
Synonyms
hash (More specific technical term used in cryptography and programming for a kind of digital fingerprint.)
|
identifier (More general and less specific; may not imply uniqueness in the same strong way as "fingerprint".)
Antonyms
random data (Random or unstructured data does not reliably identify a specific object the way a fingerprint does.)
Themes
technology
|security
|computing
Definition
A short digital code or pattern that is used to know exactly which file, program, or device something is.
A short digital value, such as a hash or unique pattern of characteristics, that can be used to reliably identify specific data, software, or a device.
VERB
B2
5
Usage pattern:
to fingerprint [someone]
The police fingerprinted the suspect after the arrest.
A rendőrök a letartóztatás után ujjlenyomatot vettek a gyanúsítottól.
All visitors were fingerprinted before they entered the high-security lab.
Minden látogatótól ujjlenyomatot vettek, mielőtt beléphetett a szigorúan őrzött laboratóriumba.
New staff must be fingerprinted as part of the background check.
Immigration officers routinely photograph and fingerprint arrivals.
He refused to be fingerprinted without a lawyer present.
Learner examples
The police fingerprinted him at the station.
A rendőrségen ujjlenyomatot vettek tőle.
Every new worker is fingerprinted on the first day.
Minden új dolgozótól ujjlenyomatot vesznek az első napon.
They will fingerprint you when you arrive at the airport.
She was fingerprinted after she was arrested.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "take his fingerprint" instead of "fingerprint him" or "take his fingerprints". As a verb, the usual pattern is "to fingerprint someone".
Meaning
take someone’s fingerprints
Collocations
arrest and fingerprint
|photograph and fingerprint
|be fingerprinted
|fingerprint all new employees
|require people to be fingerprinted
Synonyms
book (Police slang for processing an arrested person; may include fingerprinting but also other steps.)
Antonyms
release (When someone is released without being processed, they may not be fingerprinted; contrasts with the act of officially recording them.)
Themes
police
|security
|crime
|law
|body
Definition
To make official records of the marks from someone’s fingers, usually by the police or other authorities.
To take and record someone’s fingerprints, typically for identification in police or security procedures.
VERB
C1
TECHNICAL
6
Usage pattern:
to fingerprint [data/device]
The system fingerprints each file to detect changes over time.
A rendszer minden fájlról digitális ujjlenyomatot készít a későbbi változások észleléséhez.
Many analytics tools fingerprint users’ browsers without their knowledge.
Sok analitikai eszköz a felhasználók tudta nélkül készít ujjlenyomatot a böngészőjükről.
We need to fingerprint all devices connecting to the corporate network.
The service fingerprints incoming traffic to identify known attack patterns.
They fingerprint images to find copies on other sites.
Learner examples
The program fingerprints every new file.
A program minden új fájlról digitális ujjlenyomatot készít.
Websites can fingerprint your browser.
A weboldalak ujjlenyomatot készíthetnek a böngésződről.
The company will fingerprint all phones on the network.
The tool fingerprints the data to check if it changes.
Meaning
generate a digital fingerprint
Collocations
fingerprint a file
|fingerprint devices
|fingerprint traffic
|automatically fingerprint content
|fingerprint each request
Synonyms
hash (In computing, to "hash" data is a common verb with similar meaning, but it specifically refers to using a hash function.)
Antonyms
anonymize (To anonymize data removes identifying information; this is the opposite of fingerprinting, which adds an identifier.)
Themes
technology
|security
|computing
Definition
To make a special digital code or pattern that can be used to know exactly which file, program, or device something is.
To generate a digital fingerprint for data, software, or a device, usually to identify or track it.
Grammar
Dictionary form
fingerprint
IPA
GB/fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
US/fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
Syllables & stress
fin - ger - print (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (fin)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: fingerprint
- Plural: fingerprints
Verb
- Base: fingerprint
- 3rd Person Singular: fingerprints
- Present Participle: fingerprinting
- Past: fingerprinted
Word family
Expressions
browser fingerprint
1/bɹˈaʊzɚ fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
fixed phrase
technical
unique pattern of browser data
A special pattern made from your browser’s settings and data that websites can use to know it is you.
Examples
- Websites can track you by creating a browser fingerprint instead of using cookies.
- Privacy tools try to make every user look the same to prevent browser fingerprinting.
device fingerprint
1/dɪvˈaɪs fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
fixed phrase
technical
unique profile of a device
A group of details about a device, like its hardware and software, that together make it easy to know exactly which device it is.
Examples
- The security system creates a device fingerprint for every laptop that connects.
- Banks often use device fingerprints to detect suspicious logins.
digital fingerprint
1/dˈɪd͡ʒɪtəl fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
fixed phrase
technical
unique digital identifier
A special digital code or pattern that shows exactly which file, program, or device something is.
Examples
- Each photo is given a digital fingerprint so the system can spot duplicates.
- Your phone has a digital fingerprint that the network uses to recognize it.
dust for fingerprints
1/dˈʌst fɚ fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnts/
fixed phrase
use powder to find fingerprints
To put powder on a surface so that hidden fingerprints can be seen.
Examples
- Crime scene technicians arrived and began to dust for fingerprints.
- The detective ordered the team to dust the door handles for fingerprints.
have someone's fingerprints on file
1/hˈæv sˈʌmwˌʌnz fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnts ˈɔn fˈaɪl/
fixed phrase
store fingerprints in records
To keep a copy of a person’s fingerprints in an official record, usually in a computer system.
Examples
- The police already had his fingerprints on file from a previous arrest.
- All employees’ fingerprints are on file with the security office.
leave a fingerprint
1/lˈiv ə fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
fixed phrase
make a fingerprint on something
To make a mark from your finger on something you touch.
Examples
- He left a fingerprint on the window when he tried to open it.
- Don’t touch the glass, or you’ll leave fingerprints on it.
lift a fingerprint
1/lˈɪft ə fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
fixed phrase
remove fingerprint for analysis
To take a fingerprint off a surface using special tape or tools so that it can be studied.
Examples
- The technician lifted the fingerprint from the doorknob with clear tape.
- They managed to lift only one good fingerprint from the gun.
match a fingerprint
1/mˈæt͡ʃ ə fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnt/
fixed phrase
find who a fingerprint belongs to
To compare a fingerprint with others to see if they are the same and find who it belongs to.
Examples
- They matched the fingerprint from the crime scene to one in the database.
- The computer failed to match the fingerprint with any known suspect.
take someone's fingerprints
1/tˈeɪk sˈʌmwˌʌnz fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnts/
fixed phrase
record someone’s fingerprints
To make official copies of the marks from a person’s fingers, usually by the police or another authority.
Examples
- The officers took his fingerprints as soon as he arrived at the station.
- At the border they took everyone’s fingerprints and photos.
the fingerprints of something
1/ðə fˈɪŋɡɚpɹˌɪnts əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
clear signs of an influence
Obvious signs that show who or what caused or influenced something.
Examples
- This plan has the fingerprints of the finance department all over it.
- Experts say the attack bears the fingerprints of a state-backed hacking group.