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

“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

“The administration,” she said, “is notoriously difficult to get ahold of.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2025

Mr. Leroy got ahold of his breathing and said, “Boy...has you...lost your...natural mind?”

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis