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ahold. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ahold, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ahold in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ahold you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From a- + hold.
Adverb
ahold (not comparable)
- (nautical, obsolete) (of a ship) Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.[1]
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Lay her a hold, a hold, ſet her two courſes off to Sea againe, lay her off.
Translations
Etymology 2
From a + hold.
Noun
ahold (uncountable)
- (informal) A hold, grip, grasp.
2009, Tim Irwin, Derailed: Five Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership, Thomas Nelson Inc., →ISBN, page 121:GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!
2009 May 21, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):Uh-oh... I guess I shouldn't have given my last babysitter such a hard time. Somehow she got ahold of the video Mom took of me running around without my diaper ... and posted it on YouTube.
Usage notes
- Mainly used in phrases such as catch, lay, take or get ahold of, on or upon something.
- In formal writing, this word is generally spelled out as a hold, or avoided in favor of a more formal synonym.
Translations
References