hand-holding

noun

hand-hold·​ing ˈhan(d)-ˌhōl-diŋ How to pronounce hand-holding (audio)
: solicitous attention, support, or instruction (as in servicing clients)
hand-holder noun

Examples of hand-holding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are in their hand-holding era! Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 15 Oct. 2023 Children younger than 7 are admitted free with a hand-holding adult. Sam Boyer, cleveland, 25 Aug. 2023 And Favreau and/or Filoni seemed to recognize that there is a large swath of Star Wars fandom that does not watch the cartoons, and thus needs some hand-holding whenever something like the Darksaber appears. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2023 For long-term partners, this hand-holding style is a symbol of trust. Jessica Migala, Women's Health, 14 Aug. 2023 Children under 7 are free with a hand-holding adult. Sam Boyer, cleveland, 21 July 2023 However, the pair reached hand-holding status during a visit to Universal Studios just a month later. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2023 Rapp’s decision to create a hand-holding romance between Ponyboy and the more mature Soc girl Cherry (Piper Patterson) feels wrong. San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2023 The ministry also plans to give financial hand-holding support for research and innovations in the sector by roping funds from existing schemes like Start-up India, Atal Innovation Mission, and others. Manish Kumar, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand-holding.' 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

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand-holding was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near hand-holding

Cite this Entry

“Hand-holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-holding. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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