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
The Miami Dolphins franchise has finally held down the power and home bottom for 5 to 10 seconds, rebooting South Florida’s NFL franchise.
—
Omar Kelly
october 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Use Anchors Cloches made from glass and other heavy materials may not budge in windy weather, but lightweight plastic cloches will usually need to be held down with pins.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
While Yamamoto held down the fort, the Dodgers batters did the rest of the work.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Last year, a Yankees fan pried the ball out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, and another held down his wrist in the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Renee Rosnes, a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective and prolific bandleader and composer in her own right, has held down the Foursight piano chair since 2011.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
More Kathryn Riley/Getty Images While free agent acquisition Carlton Davis III held down the right side of the secondary in pass coverage, the left was manned by an ensemble of Alex Austin, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods filling in for Gonzalez, with mixed results at best.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Solarization is the process of killing a lawn or an expanse of weeds by soaking it with a hose or a sprinkler system and then covering it with clear plastic, held down by rocks or bricks.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Students described being held down and having teammates rub their genitals on their faces, being groped in locker rooms, and in some cases penetrated with a broomstick.
—Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Omar Kelly
october 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Use Anchors Cloches made from glass and other heavy materials may not budge in windy weather, but lightweight plastic cloches will usually need to be held down with pins.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025
While Yamamoto held down the fort, the Dodgers batters did the rest of the work.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Last year, a Yankees fan pried the ball out of the glove of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, and another held down his wrist in the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Renee Rosnes, a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective and prolific bandleader and composer in her own right, has held down the Foursight piano chair since 2011.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
More Kathryn Riley/Getty Images While free agent acquisition Carlton Davis III held down the right side of the secondary in pass coverage, the left was manned by an ensemble of Alex Austin, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods filling in for Gonzalez, with mixed results at best.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Solarization is the process of killing a lawn or an expanse of weeds by soaking it with a hose or a sprinkler system and then covering it with clear plastic, held down by rocks or bricks.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Students described being held down and having teammates rub their genitals on their faces, being groped in locker rooms, and in some cases penetrated with a broomstick.
—Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held down
Verb
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New Delhi’s support enabled Hasina to undermine democratic institutions, politicize the judiciary and Election Commission, and enforce repressive laws such as the Digital Security Act, which limited free speech online and allowed arbitrary arrests and detentions of opponents of the regime.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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For most people, the impacts will be limited to breathtaking skies, not power outages.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The president of the Miss Universe Organization, Raúl Rocha, also criticized the Thai businessman and restricted him from participating in further activities.—
Anabella González,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Some visual flight approaches will be restricted at busy facilities with low staffing, according to the agency.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Held down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20down. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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