adv, noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A hold, grip, grasp. informal, uncountable

   "GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!"

Adverb

1. 1
   Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady. not-comparable, obsolete

   "Lay her a hold, a hold, ſet her two courſes off to Sea againe, lay her off."

Example

More examples

"Pepper spray is great, unless the assailant gets ahold of it."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From a- (“on”) + hold.

Etymology 2

From a + hold.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.