as in assistance
patient and attentive guidance encouragement, or instruction
New computer users often require a good deal of hand-holding.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hand-holding
Everyone gathers in the seance room for a little Practical Magic–esque spell-casting hand-holding.
—
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Cross-train staff, delegate decision making early, and build a leadership layer that doesn’t need hand-holding.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
In the middle of the episode, the pop superstar — who demonstrated visible PDA with Travis, 35, throughout the podcast's two-hour duration (kissing, hand-holding and all) — discussed her obsession with numerology, particularly her fascination with the number 13.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Startups need self-starters who can tackle challenges without excessive hand-holding.
—Abdo Riani, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
Cross-train staff, delegate decision making early, and build a leadership layer that doesn’t need hand-holding.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
In the middle of the episode, the pop superstar — who demonstrated visible PDA with Travis, 35, throughout the podcast's two-hour duration (kissing, hand-holding and all) — discussed her obsession with numerology, particularly her fascination with the number 13.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Startups need self-starters who can tackle challenges without excessive hand-holding.
—Abdo Riani, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-holding
Noun
-
Polish and Dutch jets intercepted the drones, with assistance from Italian, German and NATO’s multinational forces, officials said.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
-
In EVs, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and real-time vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication depend on synchronized timekeeping for everything from sensor fusion to powertrain management.—
Markus Lutz,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While the 77th Annual Emmy Awards embraced nostalgia with attention to classics like The Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls, it was once again dominated by streaming giants breaking records and reshaping the industry.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Engravings on the bullets caught the agents’ attention.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As he was driven away, Matthews raised a thumbs-up to the crowd, drawing an ovation from USC fans and a huddle of his Spartans teammates, who circled together in support before returning to the sideline.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Rock for First Responders benefit concert; another year of showing their support for the event, which raises money for essential equipment and mental health programs for Santa Barbara’s first responders.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Two goals and an assist from the Argentine were enough to secure back-to-back wins for Miami and put it on the brink of a place in the playoffs and still within a chance of retaining the Supporters’ Shield.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Field hockey Sabrina Tibbert netted four goals, and Avery Acquaviva scored twice and dished two assists as Lincoln-Sudbury coasted to a 9-1 nonleague win over Needham.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
His authorities again became a flashpoint last week, when the House voted to repeal two decades-old war powers laws relating to the 1991 and 2003 invasions of Iraq, this time with the help of Republicans.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
-
He was arrested following a 33-hour manhunt after his parents recognized surveillance images of the suspect released by police and convinced him, with the help of a family friend, to turn himself in.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Nor does the executive order bar any federal agency from continuing to offer its services, websites, and materials in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, or hundreds of other languages spoken across the country.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Today, there are several dozens of SubHDR systems in service.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-holding. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share