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- Dictionaryhold/həʊld/
verb
- 1. grasp, carry, or support with one's hands: "she was holding a brown leather suitcase" Similar clasphold on toclutchgraspgripclenchcling tohave in one's handcarrybearliterary:cleave toOpposite releaselet go of
- ▪ keep or sustain in a specified position: "I held the door open for him"
- ▪ embrace (someone): "Mark pulled her into his arms and held her close" Similar embracehugclaspcradlefoldenfoldenvelopsqueezehold tighthold in one's armsliterary:embosom
- ▪ be able to bear (the weight of a person or thing): "I reached up to the nearest branch which seemed likely to hold my weight" Similar supportbearcarrytakehold upkeep upsustainprop upbolster upshore upbuttressbrace
- ▪ (of a vehicle) maintain close contact with (the road), especially when driven at speed: "the car holds the corners very well"
- ▪ (of a ship or an aircraft) continue to follow (a particular course): "the ship is holding a south-easterly course"
- ▪ keep going in a particular direction: archaic "he held on his way, close behind his friend"
- 2. keep or detain (someone): "the police were holding him on a murder charge" Similar detainhold in custodyimprisonlock upshut upput behind barsput in prisonput in jailincarceratekeep under lock and keyconfineimpoundimmureinternconstrainkeep under constraintinformal:put awayput insideOpposite let go
- ▪ keep possession of (something), typically in the face of a challenge or attack: "the rebels held the town for many weeks"
- ▪ keep (someone's interest or attention). Similar maintainkeepkeep upkeep aliveoccupyengrossabsorbinterestcaptivatefascinateenthralrivetmonopolizeengagecatchcapturegriparrestOpposite lose
- ▪ (of a singer or musician) sustain (a note).
- ▪ stay or cause to stay at a certain value or level: "MCI shares held at 77p"
- ▪ (in sport) manage to achieve a draw against (opponents thought likely to win): "AC Milan were held to a 1–1 draw by Udinese"
- 3. remain secure, intact, or in position without breaking or giving way: "the boat's anchor would not hold"
- ▪ (of a favourable condition or situation) continue without changing: "let's hope her luck holds" Similar continuecarry ongo onhold onhold outkeep upkeep goinglastpersistendurestayremainremain unchangedOpposite end
- ▪ be or remain valid or available: "I'll have that coffee now, if the offer still holds" Similar remain availableremain validremain in forcehold goodstandapplyremainexistoperateobtainbe the casebe in forcebe in operationbe in effectOpposite be no longer valid
- ▪ (of an argument or theory) be logical, consistent, or convincing: "this basic argument holds for almost any economic model of competition"
- 4. contain or be capable of containing (a specified amount): "the tank held twenty-four gallons" Similar have a capacity oftakehave room forhave space forcontaincompriseaccommodatefitseathave seats for
- ▪ be able to drink (a reasonable amount of alcohol) without becoming drunk or suffering any ill effects: "I can hold my drink as well as anyone"
- ▪ have or be characterized by: "I don't know what the future holds"
- 5. have in one's possession: "the managing director still holds fifty shares in the company" Similar possesshaveownbearcarrybe the owner ofhave in one's possessionbe in possession ofhave to one's name
- ▪ be in possession of illegal drugs: informal North American "he was holding, and the police hauled him off to jail"
- ▪ have or occupy (a job or position): "she held office from 1985 to 90" Similar occupyhavebe infillinformal:hold down
- ▪ have (a belief or opinion): "I feel nothing but pity for someone who holds such chauvinistic views" Similar believethinkconsidertake the viewfeelmaintainsweardeembe of the opinionsubscribe to the opinionadjudgejudgeruledecidefigureinformal:reckonformal:esteemopine
- ▪ regard (someone or something) in a specified way: "you can't hold yourself responsible for what happened"
- ▪ (of a judge or court) rule; decide: "the Court of Appeal held that there was no evidence to support the judge's assessment"
- 6. keep or reserve for someone: "a booking can be held for twenty-four hours"
- ▪ maintain (a phone connection) until the person one has called is free to speak: "please hold the line, and I'll see if he's available"
- 7. prevent from going ahead or occurring: "hold your fire!"
- ▪ refrain from adding or using (something, typically an item of food or drink): informal North American "a strawberry margarita, but hold the tequila"
- ▪ wait or stop doing something: informal "hold it right there, mate!"
- ▪ restrain oneself: archaic "‘Hold, hold!’ he cried"
- 8. arrange and take part in (a meeting or conversation): "a meeting was held at the church" Similar convenecallassemblesummonconducthaveorganizerunpreside overofficiate atformal:convokeOpposite disband
noun
- 1. an act or manner of grasping something; a grip: "he caught hold of her arm" Similar gripgraspclaspclutchpurchasefootholdfootingtoehold
- ▪ a particular way of grasping or restraining someone, especially an opponent in wrestling or judo.
- ▪ a place where one can grip with one's hands or feet while climbing: "he felt carefully with his feet for a hold and swung himself up"
- 2. power or control: "Tom had some kind of hold over his father" Similar influencepowercontroldominancepullswaymasteryauthorityleverageinformal:cloutcontrolgrippowerstrangleholddominionauthorityascendancy
- 3. a fortress. archaic
Word Origin Old Englishhaldan, healdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch houden and German halten; the noun is partly from Old Norse hald ‘hold, support, custody’.
Derivatives
- 1. holdable adjective
Scrabble Points: 8
H
4O
1L
1D
2
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