handholding

American

[hand-hohl-ding] / ˈhændˌhoʊl dɪŋ /

noun

the act of holding hands, especially as a sign or token of affection.
constant reassurance and help, especially as an indication of one's interest or confidence.

We do a lot of handholding with our clients.

Etymology

Origin of handholding

First recorded in 1905–10; hand + holding

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Getting investors to take a fresh look at Workday is going to require a lot of handholding combined with consistent execution on its AI strategy,” Evercore ISI analyst Kirk Materne wrote in a research note Monday.

From Barron's

Evercore ISI analyst Kirk Materne said in a note that, while Bhusri is a familiar face, it will take a lot of “handholding” along with “consistent execution” around the company’s AI strategy before investors would warm to the stock again.

From MarketWatch

"We're not actually taking any of the information ourselves," he explained, adding "we're just kind of handholding and making sure that the police are getting all the information that is necessary."

From BBC

"A holistic approach that looks at restoring natural ecosystems along with traditional knowledge, handholding support, credit and other factors are equally important for successful farming."

From BBC

The handholding and cheery joint interviews between Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, were a dramatic turn from the sniping that had defined the past year’s competition.

From Slate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023