hand-holding
noun
hand-hold·ing
ˈhan(d)-ˌhōl-diŋ 
: solicitous attention, support, or instruction (as in servicing clients)
… a growing user population that wants training, troubleshooting, and hand-holding …—
Datamation
DatamationExamples of hand-holding in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And in the sweetest bit of romance so far, Lady Bridgerton herself seems one step closer to acting on her attraction to Lady Danbury's brother Lord Anderson (Daniel Francis), with the two sharing a (scandalous) moment of hand-holding at the ball.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
There are no more smiles and no more hand-holding, only two sad adults.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s no spoon-feeding or hand-holding.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Elsewhere is Charles Ray’s Family Romance, 1993, whose hand-holding nude figures subvert any structuring of traditional family values.
—Tim Griffin, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Adams views these interventions not as hand-holding, but as essential adaptations to a new workplace culture, where transparency, constant feedback, and a search for meaning are fundamental.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Everyone gathers in the seance room for a little Practical Magic–esque spell-casting hand-holding.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Cross-train staff, delegate decision making early, and build a leadership layer that doesn’t need hand-holding.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
In the middle of the episode, the pop superstar — who demonstrated visible PDA with Travis, 35, throughout the podcast's two-hour duration (kissing, hand-holding and all) — discussed her obsession with numerology, particularly her fascination with the number 13.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
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Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
There are no more smiles and no more hand-holding, only two sad adults.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s no spoon-feeding or hand-holding.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Elsewhere is Charles Ray’s Family Romance, 1993, whose hand-holding nude figures subvert any structuring of traditional family values.
—Tim Griffin, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Adams views these interventions not as hand-holding, but as essential adaptations to a new workplace culture, where transparency, constant feedback, and a search for meaning are fundamental.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Everyone gathers in the seance room for a little Practical Magic–esque spell-casting hand-holding.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Cross-train staff, delegate decision making early, and build a leadership layer that doesn’t need hand-holding.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
In the middle of the episode, the pop superstar — who demonstrated visible PDA with Travis, 35, throughout the podcast's two-hour duration (kissing, hand-holding and all) — discussed her obsession with numerology, particularly her fascination with the number 13.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-holding. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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