Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of holding down.
  • noun A limit or restraint.
  • noun Something, such as a clamp, used to hold an object in place.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A device to prevent a machine or piece of apparatus from jumping or shaking: as, the hold-down of a saw-table.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a limitation or constraint

Etymologies

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Examples

  • But whatever the means chosen to hold-down demand for US immigration, the regulations will need to be enforced impartially (as seems obvious to me).

    Thoughts on Immigration, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

  • They regularly do hold-down firings of full stages and full flight vehicles.

    What's Next for SpaceX? - NASA Watch 2008

  • I thought many things that hot summer morning of 40 years ago, standing at the then – Cape Kennedy press site, staring at the Apollo Saturn vehicle some 3 miles distant, listening to the quasi-Gregorian countdown chant of "minus 10 seconds, 9, 8 …" until, finally, the powerful first-stage rocket engines had built up enough thrust to pop open the big rocket's hold-down clamps and it began rising slowly, ponderously, into the blue sky.

    One Small Step 2009

  • But make no mistake: This hold-down of retail prices is a subsidy to energy consumers that is hidden in the government's budget.

    Why, In China, Gas Is $2.49 A Gallon 2008

  • In reality no astronaut has ever screamed, “For God and Country!” when the hold-down bolts blew…at least not on their rookie mission.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • Every one of us rookies in that room, regardless of age or title, were classless peons and we would remain so until that glorious day when the hold-down bolts were blown and our ride began.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • Another shuttle near miss occurred on STS-112 when a circuit failure resulted in only one set of the hold-down bolt initiators firing at liftoff.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • Generating more than 6 million pounds of thrust, they certainly had the muscle to rip out the hold-down bolts and destroy the vehicle in the process.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • Guy and Shep had earned their wings as we all had…at the instant the hold-down bolts had blown.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

  • When she was once again vertical, the SRB and hold-down bolt fire commands were issued.

    Riding Rockets Astronaut Mike Mullane 2006

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