as in limiting
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 holding down
So, too, would Hugo Bueno, if only because the narrative of a player emerging from the Wolves academy and holding down a regular place in a Premier League starting XI is appealing.
—
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Southwest senior pitcher Alex Rico matched Kuhl inning for inning for much of the game, holding down the Chargers offense until the fifth.
—Jeffrey Perkins, San Antonio Express-News, 9 May 2026
Although Purdy is holding down the starting position and Mac Jones is entering the second and final year of a cheap backup contract, the players behind them are unproven.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
In Normal, our guy plays Ulysses, a substitute sheriff who’s just holding down the fort for a few weeks until a new sheriff can be elected after the old one passed away under strange circumstances.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
In a picture posted to animal control’s Facebook page, two strips of tape can be seen holding down the top of the bin.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Yeah, no one was holding down her legs.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
But caretaking responsibilities can make holding down a full-time job challenging, especially for people caring for older adults and raising children at the same time.
—Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
The progressive People's Party, which had been tipped to win the most seats, was holding down second place with 116 seats.
—Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Southwest senior pitcher Alex Rico matched Kuhl inning for inning for much of the game, holding down the Chargers offense until the fifth.
—Jeffrey Perkins, San Antonio Express-News, 9 May 2026
Although Purdy is holding down the starting position and Mac Jones is entering the second and final year of a cheap backup contract, the players behind them are unproven.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
In Normal, our guy plays Ulysses, a substitute sheriff who’s just holding down the fort for a few weeks until a new sheriff can be elected after the old one passed away under strange circumstances.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
In a picture posted to animal control’s Facebook page, two strips of tape can be seen holding down the top of the bin.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Yeah, no one was holding down her legs.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
But caretaking responsibilities can make holding down a full-time job challenging, especially for people caring for older adults and raising children at the same time.
—Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
The progressive People's Party, which had been tipped to win the most seats, was holding down second place with 116 seats.
—Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding down
Verb
-
Judges, attorneys, guardians and other court professionals have repeatedly used custody as a cudgel, according to some family court attorneys and advocates, punishing parents for their conduct by limiting their access to their children.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
4 June 2026
-
Blackstone — Shares of the asset manager jumped 8% as investors seemed to shake off news that the firm is limiting withdrawals from the Blackstone Private Credit fund after a pickup in investor redemption requests.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Another line of mitigation focuses on restricting access to models without guardrails.—
Huo Jingnan,
NPR,
31 May 2026
-
In fact, when several states passed laws restricting police quotas, the rate at which state highway patrol officers issued citations actually went up, according to Edwards’ recent analysis.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20down. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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