as in assistance
patient and attentive guidance encouragement, or instruction
New computer users often require a good deal of hand-holding.
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Recent Examples of hand-holding
Adams views these interventions not as hand-holding, but as essential adaptations to a new workplace culture, where transparency, constant feedback, and a search for meaning are fundamental.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Ahead of their May studio confirmation, Anderson .Paak and Mariah Carey had already set the internet ablaze with a series of very public hand-holding moments.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The Songbird Supreme spoke with Gayle King on the Wednesday, Sept. 24 episode of CBS Mornings about her upcoming 16th studio album, Here for It All, which features collaborations with .Paak following their recent hand-holding outings that sparked romance rumors.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Everyone gathers in the seance room for a little Practical Magic–esque spell-casting hand-holding.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
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
In the middle of the episode, the pop superstar — who demonstrated visible PDA with Travis, 35, throughout the podcast's two-hour duration (kissing, hand-holding and all) — discussed her obsession with numerology, particularly her fascination with the number 13.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Startups need self-starters who can tackle challenges without excessive hand-holding.
—Abdo Riani, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Ahead of their May studio confirmation, Anderson .Paak and Mariah Carey had already set the internet ablaze with a series of very public hand-holding moments.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The Songbird Supreme spoke with Gayle King on the Wednesday, Sept. 24 episode of CBS Mornings about her upcoming 16th studio album, Here for It All, which features collaborations with .Paak following their recent hand-holding outings that sparked romance rumors.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Everyone gathers in the seance room for a little Practical Magic–esque spell-casting hand-holding.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
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
In the middle of the episode, the pop superstar — who demonstrated visible PDA with Travis, 35, throughout the podcast's two-hour duration (kissing, hand-holding and all) — discussed her obsession with numerology, particularly her fascination with the number 13.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Startups need self-starters who can tackle challenges without excessive hand-holding.
—Abdo Riani, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-holding
Noun
-
The Arkansas Department of Human Services has been following the federal Department of Agriculture’s recent guidance on SNAP, issuing partial benefits to 240,000 low-income Arkansans participating in the nutrition assistance program.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Nov. 2025
-
But there's still a lot in limbo, including pay for federal workers like air traffic controllers, SNAP food assistance and the potential for political blowback to put a possible deal in jeopardy.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The bill passed in June without media attention, while bombs were dropping on Iran.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
But Vanderbilt, as attention, pressure and fatigue rise on a pursuit no one outside its camp expected, is essentially two teams with two games left in the 2025 regular season.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Ensuring officials have the mental and technological support for making big decisions in big matches with big consequences?—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
All face charges of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and additional juvenile cases may be under seal.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Daniels, who finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 13 assists, was a big key to how the Hawks were able to outplay the Lakers on both ends of the floor.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Fears shot 0 of 7 from the field, scoring four points on six free-throw attempts, but tallied nine assists.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Until recently there were only around 100 spots in the entire county that accepted Medi-Cal, the state health insurance for low-income residents, resulting in long wait times for people actively trying to get help.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The Ravens didn’t add any offensive line help.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In addition to marketing and contract management services, Cureate offers educational courses.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
-
An Assumption block and a Notre Dame error tied the score, but Emily Keiran's service error gave the Pandas a 15-14 lead.—
Rich Barak,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-holding. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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