ahold

noun

ə-ˈhōld 

informal

: hold

—usually used in phrases like get ahold of to mean "take hold of," "get possession of," "get in contact with," etc.

I got ahold of him by phone.

It took me a long time to learn that success is not such a fabulous goal. It's like air—you can't get ahold of it.

—Kristin McMurran

An eleven-year-old boy … gets ahold of a million dollars in laundered money and goes on a spending spree.

—The New Yorker

… if you could get ahold of a representative …

—Norman Mailer

I picture him now reading this, and long to reach out of the page and grab ahold of his shirt front …

—Mary Karr

Examples of ahold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His dark, calculating gaze takes ahold of me with all the intensity of a bolt of lightning striking me down from above. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

The objective for this game is to grab ahold of the game early and have control for longer periods and that includes without the ball. — Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2025

The photo shows a sow reaching up to grab ahold of the elk carcass, which is hanging from a tractor, while her cubs feed just below it. — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 19 Sep. 2024

One officer held up another officer, who was able to grab ahold of the ledge, Knights said. — NBC News, 16 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from the phrase a hold

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ahold

• behold
• billfold
• blindfold
• cajoled
• consoled
• controlled
• cotswold
• eightfold
• enfold
• enrolled
• extolled
• fivefold