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
Most participants in the program are holding down full-time jobs, one-quarter of them still in the military.
—
Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Most of its students are commuters, getting degrees while holding down full-time jobs.
—Byron Tau, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
The Grammy-winning R&B songstress and mother of four, who range in age from 11 to 18 months, carved out time to talk with us while her beloved husband, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, was home holding down the fort.
—Sandra Guzmán, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Other Thai pro-democracy activists have described to CNN the toll that being charged with lese majeste has had on their physical and mental health, the difficulty of holding down jobs as they are required to attend hearings every week, and strained family relations.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Most of its students are commuters, getting degrees while holding down full-time jobs.
—Byron Tau, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
The Grammy-winning R&B songstress and mother of four, who range in age from 11 to 18 months, carved out time to talk with us while her beloved husband, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, was home holding down the fort.
—Sandra Guzmán, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025
Other Thai pro-democracy activists have described to CNN the toll that being charged with lese majeste has had on their physical and mental health, the difficulty of holding down jobs as they are required to attend hearings every week, and strained family relations.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding down
Verb
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Coleman had touchdown runs of 15, 1, 9, 7 and 5 yards to ignite the outburst as Washington piled up 628 yards and 34 touchdowns while limiting the Aggies to 218 yards and 13 first downs.—
Joe Davidosn,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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On August 27, the FDA followed through with its plans to change the labels on COVID-19 vaccines, limiting access to people who are 65 and older and people who have an underlying condition that puts them at high risk of severe COVID-19.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Similarly, Senate Democrats have introduced the VISIBLE Act, which would mandate that ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers wear legible identification showing their names and agency, while also restricting the use of most face coverings during operations.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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The Slow-Carb Diet is an eating plan that prioritizes protein, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables while restricting most other carbohydrates.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holding down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20down. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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