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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for handholds
Noun
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But in the second season of the series, which wrapped last Sunday, a new sense of uncertainty, reflection, and maturity grips the central characters, making for even better television.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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The changes to the federal vaccine schedule come as Rhode Island is in the grips of a severe flu season, which has led hospital systems to institute masking requirements at their medical facilities.—
Jonny Williams,
The Providence Journal,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His team first examined 30 natural hand grasps, from holding a small bead to lifting a large bottle.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Dec. 2025
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The Hurricanes needed that to happen after the game nearly slipped out of their grasps.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This cozy cable knit is held together with two utilitarian clasps—adorable, yet edgy.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Dec. 2025
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Ancient book clasps — used to keep manuscript tomes shut — were uncovered at the site, along with styli, the medieval equivalents of pens and pencils.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Handholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/handholds. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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