as in grips
the act or manner of holding
she tried to maintain her tight handhold on the umbrella as the wind picked up
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Recent Examples of handholds
The rock wall offered no handholds, and the waves might easily have beaten us unconscious on the rocks.
—
Jim Hoagland, Outdoor Life, 30 Apr. 2026
Making his way blindly back around the jagged metal shard, moving along the side of the Gemini—finding the handholds and Velcro and the ship’s aft cable without the benefit of vision, all the while battling to keep his heart rate under control—was no small thing.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
That would cut off access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Instead of using natural handholds in the rock, via ferrata climbers move almost exclusively using artificial hardware drilled into the rock face, such as chains, cables, bridges, and ladders, and are attached to these fixtures via a tether and harness at all times.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 29 Sep. 2025
The steep route is laced with a via Ferrata—the system, invented in the Dolomites, of metal handholds, footholds, and cables that climbers can clip into and follow all the way up.
—Darrell Hartman, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2024
Jim Hoagland, Outdoor Life, 30 Apr. 2026
Making his way blindly back around the jagged metal shard, moving along the side of the Gemini—finding the handholds and Velcro and the ship’s aft cable without the benefit of vision, all the while battling to keep his heart rate under control—was no small thing.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
That would cut off access to the narrow gaps between train cars where subway surfers use handholds to hoist themselves onto the roof.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Instead of using natural handholds in the rock, via ferrata climbers move almost exclusively using artificial hardware drilled into the rock face, such as chains, cables, bridges, and ladders, and are attached to these fixtures via a tether and harness at all times.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 29 Sep. 2025
The steep route is laced with a via Ferrata—the system, invented in the Dolomites, of metal handholds, footholds, and cables that climbers can clip into and follow all the way up.
—Darrell Hartman, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handholds
Noun
-
Hosmer’s video showed evidence the Red Sox might have been identifying pitch grips from Valdez’s glove and relaying signs to hitters when a runner was on second base.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
Livro and Vico have escaped the grips of the neighborhood gang and are going to work for Ivan, doing maintenance on his yacht.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Through universal intelligent manipulation, the robot autonomously plans grasps, adjusts force in real time, and navigates obstacles using seamless hand–eye coordination.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The Hurricanes needed that to happen after the game nearly slipped out of their grasps.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The waterproof nylon exterior includes slash-resistant lining and straps, locking clasps to secure valuables, and RFID-blocking technology to help ward off pickpockets.—
Kayla Kitts,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2026
-
Avoid long dangling earrings that touch your shoulder or necklaces with many fixtures or clasps.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Handholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handholds. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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