as in limited
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 held down
Mornings With Mero replaces Ebro in the Morning—hosted by Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez—which held down the AM slot for years before the show was unexpectedly cancelled in December.
—
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The car was shipped in an open carrier truck, and the car was held down with straps on the tires, nothing tied to the undercarriage.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
In one incident captured by the brothers on January 21, a clash erupted between protesters and federal agents — which ended in someone being pepper sprayed directly in the face while they were held down by three agents.
—Sophia Peyser, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
Pretti then appeared to be held down on his hands and knees before an agent seemingly struck him repeatedly with an object toward his head, according to USA Today.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026
Brown served as a team captain for the second straight season and held down left tackle for an offensive line that’s in as good of shape as any since quarterback Joe Burrow arrived.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
But after more than an hour, agents held down Zapata Rivera’s arms.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Rachel, Helen, and Zoe watch as she’s held down against her will.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
Both women had been held down and penetrated by Rideout in the middle of the night.
—S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The car was shipped in an open carrier truck, and the car was held down with straps on the tires, nothing tied to the undercarriage.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
In one incident captured by the brothers on January 21, a clash erupted between protesters and federal agents — which ended in someone being pepper sprayed directly in the face while they were held down by three agents.
—Sophia Peyser, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
Pretti then appeared to be held down on his hands and knees before an agent seemingly struck him repeatedly with an object toward his head, according to USA Today.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026
Brown served as a team captain for the second straight season and held down left tackle for an offensive line that’s in as good of shape as any since quarterback Joe Burrow arrived.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
But after more than an hour, agents held down Zapata Rivera’s arms.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Rachel, Helen, and Zoe watch as she’s held down against her will.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
Both women had been held down and penetrated by Rideout in the middle of the night.
—S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held down
Verb
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Historically, bond was often granted to those without criminal convictions who were not flight risks, and mandatory detention was limited to recent border crossers.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
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Water is limited along most portions of the trail, and resupply points are relatively spread out.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The technique is banned by statute in at least one state and prohibited or restricted to low-speeds by some police agencies.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
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By 1982, the species had been restricted to a single population of just 35 individuals at Epping Forest National Park in Queensland.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20down. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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