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Synonyms

handhold

American  
[hand-hohld] / ˈhændˌhoʊld /

noun

  1. a grip with the hand or hands.

  2. something to grip or take hold of, as a support or handle.

handhold British  
/ ˈhændˌhəʊld /

noun

  1. an object, crevice, etc, that can be used as a grip or support, as in climbing

  2. a grip or secure hold with the hand or hands

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of handhold

First recorded in 1635–45; hand + hold 1

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.

Three men were climbing the Gribin Ridge in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, on Saturday, when the handhold collapsed.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2023

She started as a country singer, has found a handhold firmly in pop, but albums like "Reputation" have a more gritty and experimental feel.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2022

One design resembles a swinging pair of saloon doors, and the other has plastic half-discs on top to prevent gate hoppers from getting a handhold to launch a leap.

From Washington Times • Nov. 18, 2022

High on a wall in West Virginia, entrusting his weight to a narrow handhold, another shrieks “in all out battle mode,” according to Lynch’s caption; but is he shrieking in pain, exhilaration or fear?

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2019

Abby stretched her arm up, feeling for another handhold.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.