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
The service Don't expect any hand-holding here.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2026
That balance is always important, between difficulty and hand-holding.
—Chris Plante, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026
Ratner captures lots of hand-holding, little connection.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
OpenAI is now offering agents that are more about automating workflows—logging into applications, executing tasks, and managing tasks without much human hand-holding.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
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
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
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Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2026
That balance is always important, between difficulty and hand-holding.
—Chris Plante, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026
Ratner captures lots of hand-holding, little connection.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
OpenAI is now offering agents that are more about automating workflows—logging into applications, executing tasks, and managing tasks without much human hand-holding.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Hand-holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-holding. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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