as in limited
to set bounds or an upper limit for
efforts to hold down taxes keep running up against the legislature's ingrained unwillingness to cut spending
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Recent Examples of held down
That said, one long-term media partner that’ll be monitoring the potential downstream effects of the heavying-up is NBC, which has held down the primetime Thanksgiving slot since 2006.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Texas State's relievers held down the fort, while the offense scored nine runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
People held down LaBeouf until officials arrived.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
LaBeouf was held down by onlookers until officers arrived, police said.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Mornings With Mero replaces Ebro in the Morning—hosted by Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez—which held down the AM slot for years before the show was unexpectedly cancelled in December.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The car was shipped in an open carrier truck, and the car was held down with straps on the tires, nothing tied to the undercarriage.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
In one incident captured by the brothers on January 21, a clash erupted between protesters and federal agents — which ended in someone being pepper sprayed directly in the face while they were held down by three agents.
—Sophia Peyser, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
Pretti then appeared to be held down on his hands and knees before an agent seemingly struck him repeatedly with an object toward his head, according to USA Today.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Texas State's relievers held down the fort, while the offense scored nine runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
People held down LaBeouf until officials arrived.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
LaBeouf was held down by onlookers until officers arrived, police said.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Mornings With Mero replaces Ebro in the Morning—hosted by Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez—which held down the AM slot for years before the show was unexpectedly cancelled in December.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The car was shipped in an open carrier truck, and the car was held down with straps on the tires, nothing tied to the undercarriage.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
In one incident captured by the brothers on January 21, a clash erupted between protesters and federal agents — which ended in someone being pepper sprayed directly in the face while they were held down by three agents.
—Sophia Peyser, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
Pretti then appeared to be held down on his hands and knees before an agent seemingly struck him repeatedly with an object toward his head, according to USA Today.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held down
Verb
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Angel City won the possession battle (60-40 percent) and limited Chicago to just two shots on goal.—
Damian Calhoun,
Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
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At launch, it will be limited to users on the Premium subscription, which received a price hike in the US earlier this year.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2021, the state passed a law that restricted officials’ ability to quarantine students exposed to COVID; measles cases are not subject to such restrictions, but attitudes about the viruses appear to be similar, several researchers told me.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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While the government is prioritizing supply to consumers, the curbs that were brought in after the war broke out have also restricted access for households.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20down. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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