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
Meanwhile, David Lee’s hard-working mother, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), tries to hold down the fort at home and survive without her husband. Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 14 May 2024 In addition to baseball and schoolwork, some of his guys hold down jobs. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 9 May 2024 Even when released, they would be required to meet certain criteria, including finishing school or getting a GED, avoiding committing new crimes – and holding down a job or getting into college. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 7 May 2024 And the whole thing happens in a caregiver’s embrace, rather than while held down on an exam table. Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 2 May 2024 In a nice touch, holding down the mouse button while moving a clip edit point (or double-clicking on an edit point) opens a view of both clips in the preview window. PCMAG, 1 May 2024 In New Orleans, a city with a large population of workers in the service industry and other low-wage jobs, the City Seats funding has been transformative for parents struggling to hold down demanding, mostly non-unionized jobs. Ariel Gilreath, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024 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

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 18 May. 2024.

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