as in limits
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 holds down
Evanston’s Andris Lizenbergs holds down the 20th spot with 2,310.
—
Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Adams, then, holds down the top spot on the depth chart in that box-to-box role, but Pochettino has also coaxed fantastic performances out of players such as Sebastian Berhalter, McKennie, Tessmann — and even Timmy Tillman — in that role.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Adams, then, holds down the top spot on the depth chart in that box-to-box role, but Pochettino has also coaxed fantastic performances out of players such as Sebastian Berhalter, McKennie, Tessmann — and even Timmy Tillman — in that role.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holds down
Verb
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Most currently available hypersonics are costly per unit, which limits their deployment capability.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
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Lawmakers passed the Youth Charging Reform Act (Senate Bill 323), a long-overdue measure that limits the harmful practice of automatically charging youth as adults.—
Nicole D. Porter,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act restricts some state and local taxes from being deducted from federal taxes.—
Amethyst Martinez,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Buprenorphine is controlled by the Drug Enforcement Administration's suspicious orders report system, which restricts supply when pharmacies order more than allowed under specified thresholds.—
Andrew Jones,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holds down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holds%20down. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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