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
After Caltech, Allen held down a job for only about a year before starting work as a tutor with C2 Education in 2020 and going on to earn a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, in 2025.
—
Asra Q. Nomani , Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Thieneman slides into the spot that Harrison Smith held down for over a decade.
—Nick Harris
april 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Ron Marinaccio, Kyle Hart, Bradgley Rodriguez and Miller held down the Angels the rest of the way.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Matt Waldron held down the fort for three months when injuries ravaged the Padres’ starting rotation in 2024.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Good art can never be held down!
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
Matt McCoy and Samson Okunlola split reps at left guard, Anez Cooper held down his spot at right guard and James Brockermeyer joined the team via the transfer portal to start at center.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
According to charging documents, Contreras Aguilar conspired with other MS-13 members to lure a 14-year-old boy believed to be cooperating with law enforcement to a park in Fairfax County, where the teenager was held down, slain, and buried by the Salvadoran gang.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Asra Q. Nomani , Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Thieneman slides into the spot that Harrison Smith held down for over a decade.
—Nick Harris
april 20, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Ron Marinaccio, Kyle Hart, Bradgley Rodriguez and Miller held down the Angels the rest of the way.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Matt Waldron held down the fort for three months when injuries ravaged the Padres’ starting rotation in 2024.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Good art can never be held down!
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
Matt McCoy and Samson Okunlola split reps at left guard, Anez Cooper held down his spot at right guard and James Brockermeyer joined the team via the transfer portal to start at center.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
According to charging documents, Contreras Aguilar conspired with other MS-13 members to lure a 14-year-old boy believed to be cooperating with law enforcement to a park in Fairfax County, where the teenager was held down, slain, and buried by the Salvadoran gang.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held down
Verb
-
Because of this, the bill’s effect on voter participation would have been limited.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
3 May 2026
-
When public testimony was taken, the House limited some speakers to less than one minute.—
Jon Harris Maurer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
The current tensions began to appear around the start of the year, when the Kremlin banned or restricted most messaging apps, except for one that had been developed by the state.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
The report made a number of policy recommendations around Taser use, including that the weapons continue to be restricted to incidents where suspects take aggressive action, and that the police department formalize a procedure for public input on such changes.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20down. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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