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Glite Dictionary
handhold

handhold

6 3.0
A part of something you grab with your hand for support, like a rail
  • noun
  • /ˈhændˌhoʊld/
translation icon : agarre
  • While climbing, it's important to find a secure handhold to maintain your balance.
  • handholds and footholds
  • Climbers use different handholds
  • reaches for a handhold

You got to have a good foothold you or handhold you got to you just can't.

Examples

  • There was another close to it, with good handholds, and he shuffled slowly after her.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • At the last second, Kato grabs a handhold on a branch and hangs five stories up.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Make sure you have one handhold... - ...before you let go of the other one.

    White House Down (2013)

  • Those handholds look solid to me.

    Trespass (1992)

  • You pulled yourself along, one handhold after another, through the black carbon-plastic tube.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The total number of handholds per route varied from 17 to 34.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Maggot reached a tough spot and crossed horizontally until he found another handhold above him.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Somehow we found handholds and more roots to grasp as we scaled the steep bank.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Alicia scrambled to her side, moving unsteadily from handhold to handhold through the lurching hull.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Margot pulled herself from handhold to handhold up the tubular connector, past its cabinets and access panels.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

handle
vshandhold
211 1.0

The part of an object you hold to carry or use it

is designed primarily for support and balance rather than manipulation
grip
vshandhold
32 1.0

The part of an object shaped to fit the hand

focuses on supporting the body or keeping stable rather than giving leverage
purchase
vshandhold
16 7.7

A firm hold that helps you move or control something

refers to support for balance rather than to provide mechanical advantage
handrail
vshandhold
11 1.8

A bar fixed beside stairs or a balcony that you hold for support

is a general support part not limited to stairs or balcony rails
handgrip
vshandhold
1 3.0

A part of a thing you hold with your hand to carry or use

is intended mainly for support and stability, not for moving things
hand-hold
vshandhold
1 4.8

A thing you can hold for support, or simple help for someone new

is meant for support and stability rather than for use or movement

How Secure

grab bar
  • US
2 3.4
railing
14 1.6
handhold
6 3.0
handgrip
1 3.0

Surface Forms

handhold singular
handholds plural

Morphology

handhold = hand + hold (transparent) = hand + hold

A direct compound of 'hand' + 'hold' meaning a place to hold with the hand; learners can infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Handhold comes from the simple words hand and hold, meaning 'hand' and 'to hold'. So a handhold is something you can grasp with your hand to give you support or keep you steady.