ahold

American  

[uh-hohld] / əˈhoʊld /

noun

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

   He took ahold of my arm. Grab ahold!

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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

See Examples For:

ahold

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

“Like most public health organizations, we weren’t able to get ahold of our program people in February,” he said.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2025

“We just haven’t had a chance to identify in many cases who the people stopped even were, let alone — over a holiday weekend — get ahold of the agents,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 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

“Don’t let your feet touch sand. Keep ahold of Belle’s leg and guide yourself down.”

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes