aholt
A hold — a grip, or contact with somebody.
Also called ahold, a-holt, a-hold.
Updated September 21, 2026
aholt pronunciation
/uh-HOLT/
Meaning
Same as ahold: a grasp on a thing or a person. Most often rides in get aholt of — grab it, catch it, or manage to reach somebody on the phone. The t ending is how ahold sounds in a lot of Southern and Appalachian mouths.
How folks use it
- “Get aholt of that rope before it slips.”
- “I finally got aholt of Uncle Ray last night.”
Origin and etymology
Ahold comes from a + hold (a grasp). Aholt is the dialect pronunciation where hold lands as holt — a pattern also heard in parts of England and widely in the U.S. South and South Midland. Smoky Mountain citations spell both ahold and aholt for the same idea, going back at least to Civil War letters ("get a holt of them").
Frequently asked questions
Is aholt different from ahold?
No. Same meaning. Aholt is just the t-sound pronunciation common in Southern and Appalachian speech.