handhold

[hand-hohld]

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noun

a grip with the hand or hands.

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

Nearby words

Origin of handhold

First recorded in 1635–45; hand + hold¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for handhold

Bud, meanwhile, clawed a handhold on a wire screen enclosing an air compressor and pulled himself to his feet.
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X|Victor Appleton
There was a handhold of iron, a sort of large iron staple, in the bricks in front of them.
The Red House Mystery|A. A. Milne
Wade decided suddenly to go into his room and stopped himself by grabbing a handhold.
Islands of Space|John W Campbell
He clutched the handhold and rolled backward, as he had seen the men do.
The Small World of M-75|Ed M. Clinton, Jr.

Then he had to snatch for a handhold as the spider-machine lunged into a dead run.
World of the Drone|Robert Abernathy

British Dictionary definitions for handhold

handhold

noun

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

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

Word Origin and History for handhold