Synonyms of held down

held down

verb

past tense of hold down

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• limited
• restricted
• tightened
• confined
• capped
• circumscribed
• suppressed
• hindered
• blocked
• hampered
• modified
• obstructed
• impeded
• narrowed
• contracted
• lessened
• squeezed
• repressed
• barred
• numbered
• qualified
• pinched
• constricted
• quelled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exceeded
• expanded
• broadened
• widened
• overreached
• overextended

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of held down

But the production here betrays its economy, and the direction, by Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, remains earthbound, held down by mournful strings and devoid of color. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

While the victim was being held down, the 17-year-old boy allegedly pulled down his own pants and underwear and sat on the victim's chest. — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Kobe Bryant’s signature line had held down Clark through college in her first WNBA years, but there weren’t any overt attempts to pay homage to the series. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

When the button is held down, a section of the bracelet pops open to reveal the time. — Carol Besler, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2026

Banks himself, meanwhile, has held down the low end on the three studio albums Interpol has made in that timespan (2014’s masterful El Pintor, 2018’s Marauder, and 2022’s The Other Side of Make-Believe). — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026

Video from the hallway shows Miller being held down and in handcuffs, repeatedly asking why he is being arrested. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026

Zisman gave up the sideman hustle years ago but has kept a foot in the scene by accompanying vocalist Kim Nalley, a chair he’s held down for decades. — Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

This is the first year a conference has held down the top two spots in the preseason poll since Oklahoma and Nebraska of the Big Eight were 1-2 in 1987. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026