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
Gray held down the fort while the Red Sox lineup continued a season-long trend of wasting opportunities.
—
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
Dozens of trucks are fully loaded with garbage covered and held down with tarps.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 27 May 2026
Queta held down the starting job in Boston with Porziņģis and Al Horford departing.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 18 May 2026
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
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
Dozens of trucks are fully loaded with garbage covered and held down with tarps.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 27 May 2026
Queta held down the starting job in Boston with Porziņģis and Al Horford departing.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 18 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held down
Verb
-
Jalen Williams missed Game 7 after his left hamstring left him largely limited in availability and play throughout the postseason.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Rain chances will be limited to some spotty sprinkles early in the week with no soaking rain in sight for the extended forecast.—
Andrew Kozak,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The airline also restricted the conditions under which refunds would be provided, prompting pushback from some plus-size travelers who argued the changes would make their trips more complicated.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
This restriction travels with the pick rather than with the team, so a future pick that now belongs to another team could still be restricted on lottery night.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20down. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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