hold-down

1 of 2

noun

1
: something used to fasten an object in place
2
a
: an act of holding down
b
: limit
agreed to wage-rate hold-downs

hold down

2 of 2

verb

held down; holding down; holds down

transitive verb

1
: to keep within limits
hold the noise down
2
: to assume or have responsibility for
holding down two jobs

Examples of hold-down in a Sentence

Verb efforts to hold down taxes keep running up against the legislature's ingrained unwillingness to cut spending
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
SpaceX tested the water deluge system several times since April, including on a pair of hold-down engine tests with the Super Heavy booster in August. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023 If the hold-down clamp is not tightened properly, the battery could move, allowing the positive terminal to contact the clamp and short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire, the company said. CBS News, 1 Nov. 2023 Once the position of the skirts are verified, they will be bolted down to the slab with four hold-down studs each. Saumya Gupta, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2023 Then, presuming everything checks out, two hold-down mechanisms open and the little rover falls about a meter, in the low lunar gravity, to the ground below. IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2023
Verb
Format Text With text highlighted, hold down Ctrl or Cmd, then tap B for bold, I for italics, U for underline, Shift+X for strikethrough, . David Nield, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024 However, the liability cap probably won’t hold down insurance payouts for the bridge or the interruption of business for the port or for other shippers, Alvarez said. Federica Cocco, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024 Figueiredo currently holds down that spot in the rankings. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024 Chaminade is surging in the Mission League at 9-3 overall and holding down second place behind Harvard-Westlake. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024 Carpenter also mentions Godzilla's footprint has three toes, which indicates carnivorous dinosaurs who would have used their feet to hold down prey. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 On Android, hold down on a conversation, tap the three dots, then Mark it as unread. Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024 Perhaps someone should create that reciprocal social space for the wives, letting the men hold down the family fort; your wife, in fact, might see if there’s interest. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 As for the airship, the carbon-fiber blimp is held down by secure ropes until given the green light to disengage. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold-down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hold-down was in 1533

Dictionary Entries Near hold-down

Cite this Entry

“Hold-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold-down. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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