as in limiting
to set bounds or an upper limit for
efforts to hold down taxes keep running up against the legislature's ingrained unwillingness to cut spending
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Recent Examples of holding down
Although Purdy is holding down the starting position and Mac Jones is entering the second and final year of a cheap backup contract, the players behind them are unproven.
—
Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
In Normal, our guy plays Ulysses, a substitute sheriff who’s just holding down the fort for a few weeks until a new sheriff can be elected after the old one passed away under strange circumstances.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
In a picture posted to animal control’s Facebook page, two strips of tape can be seen holding down the top of the bin.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Yeah, no one was holding down her legs.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
But caretaking responsibilities can make holding down a full-time job challenging, especially for people caring for older adults and raising children at the same time.
—Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
The progressive People's Party, which had been tipped to win the most seats, was holding down second place with 116 seats.
—Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
The Rose Bowl will remain a College Football Playoff quarterfinal for the next two seasons — and likely the four after that — holding down its traditional spot as the afternoon anchor of the New Year’s Day lineup.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Soft demand is holding down revenue at Union Pacific and CSX.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
In Normal, our guy plays Ulysses, a substitute sheriff who’s just holding down the fort for a few weeks until a new sheriff can be elected after the old one passed away under strange circumstances.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
In a picture posted to animal control’s Facebook page, two strips of tape can be seen holding down the top of the bin.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Yeah, no one was holding down her legs.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
But caretaking responsibilities can make holding down a full-time job challenging, especially for people caring for older adults and raising children at the same time.
—Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
The progressive People's Party, which had been tipped to win the most seats, was holding down second place with 116 seats.
—Grant Peck, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026
The Rose Bowl will remain a College Football Playoff quarterfinal for the next two seasons — and likely the four after that — holding down its traditional spot as the afternoon anchor of the New Year’s Day lineup.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Soft demand is holding down revenue at Union Pacific and CSX.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding down
Verb
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Not content with limiting real-world testing, F1 now also strictly limits the number of hours a team can use a wind tunnel—which can be only 60 percent scale—as well as the number of hours of CFD simulations.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
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The government has also proposed limiting the number of guns someone can own to as few as four and implementing periodic reviews of existing gun licenses.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While backing legislation restricting AI use in hiring and education, Pritzker’s administration has implemented internal rules dictating how state employees and contractors may use the technology.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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The Boston City Council defeated a resolution last month, by a 9-3 vote, that sponsors Ed Flynn and Julia Mejia said sought to uphold state law restricting alcohol at public school facilities.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20down. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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