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ahold

American  
[uh-hohld] / əˈhoʊld /

noun

  1. Informal. a hold or grasp (often followed byof ).

    He took ahold of my arm. Grab ahold!


adverb

  1. Nautical Archaic. close to the wind and on a single tack.

    to keep a vessel ahold.

idioms

  1. get ahold of, hold.

Etymology

Origin of ahold

First recorded in 1600–10; a- 1 + hold 1 (noun)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“You can’t change your iris if someone does manage to get ahold of that information.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

“You can’t get ahold of them,” she said of her firm, which has filed cases on behalf of hundreds of new plaintiffs since the settlement was finalized.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2025

I have to get ahold of her to get it.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2025

So imagine my surprise when she recently got ahold of mine and started scrolling and swiping with the muscle memory of a bored teen on TikTok.

From Slate • Nov. 16, 2024

“Get ahold of yourself,” she said, plainly growing exasperated.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss