From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhandholdhand‧hold /ˈhændhəʊld $ -hoʊld/ noun [countable] a part of something that you can hold onto when climbing it
Examples from the Corpus
handhold• He managed to grab it; the stitches gave a better handhold.• He picked his way down, handhold and foothold, until I could reach up and take him by the knees.• It was a heavily padded room, its walls covered with recessed handholds.• One of his hands grabbed a rusty handhold at the roof's edge, then he heaved himself up with the other.• A stout, stainless steel pillar between deckhead and cabin sole in the galley area forms a useful handhold.• Using handholds in the wood to steady herself, she crept back along the beam, hauling Simon along with her. 