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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-holding
Noun
-
English said he's been working to gather assistance for his members who have gone without a paycheck since mid-February.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Trump’s policies — from legislation that cut food stamps and Medicaid benefits, to new restrictions on low-income housing assistance and student loans — have amplified these trends.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The nurturing Moon pokes Mars today, drawing attention to your 2nd House of Objects and your 11th House of Groups.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Rosenstock noted that the company approached the women’s collection with exceptional care and attention to detail, relying on its in-house denim expertise to get the fit and feel exactly right.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Trump has alluded to this possible dearth of popular support when asked about the possibility of backing Pahlavi to lead the country if the regime collapses.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Of The Trees plays a daytime and nighttime set both days, with support from Daily Bread.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Jalen Smith each scored 15 points for the Bulls, with Giddey adding 13 assists.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Wiggins contributed nine points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block in 20 minutes.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Get help from a tax relief company This interactive feature is operated by a third party.—
Brian Sloan,Dan Avery,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The girls started to scream for help and tried to escape as the suspect started to drive away.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Delta Air Lines will launch new nonstop service from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Phoenix and expand seasonal service to Bozeman, Montana, the carrier announced Friday.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The service Finessed but friendly, high touch but never pretentious.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-holding. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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