hold
[verb]
Synonyms:
- own, have, keep, maintain, occupy, possess, retain
- grasp, clasp, cling, clutch, cradle, embrace, enfold, grip
- restrain, confine, detain, impound, imprison
- consider, assume, believe, deem, judge, presume, reckon, regard, think
- convene, call, conduct, preside over, run
- accommodate, contain, have a capacity for, seat, take
[noun]
Synonyms:
- grip, clasp, grasp
- foothold, footing, support
- control, influence, mastery

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Related Words: handclasp, handhold, purchase

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English Thesaurus: hold, grip, clutch, clasp, get/take hold of something, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. hold¹ S1 W1 /həʊld $ hoʊld/ verb (past tense and past participle held /held/)
[Word Family: noun: hold, holder, holding; verb: hold]
[Language: Old English; Origin: healdan]

1. IN YOUR HAND/ARMS
a) [transitive] to have something in your hand, hands, or arms:
Could you hold my bag for me?
hold something in your hand/arms
He was holding a knife in one hand.
I held the baby in my arms.
hold hands (=hold each other’s hands)
They sat holding hands under a tree.
hold somebody close/tightly (=with your arms around someone)
Max held her close and wiped away her tears.
b) [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move your hand or something in your hand in a particular direction
hold something out/up etc
He held out his hand to help her to her feet.
Hold the picture up so we can see it.

2. EVENT [transitive] to have a meeting, party, election etc in a particular place or at a particular time:
This year’s conference will be held at the Hilton Hotel.
A thanksgiving ceremony was held to mark the occasion.
The funeral was held on a grey day in November.
In April, the President held talks with Chinese leaders.

3. KEEP SOMETHING IN POSITION [transitive] to make something stay in a particular position
hold something open/up etc
We used rolled-up newspapers to hold the windows open.
Remember to hold your head up and keep your back straight.
hold something in place/position
A couple of screws should hold it in place.
Lift your head off the floor and hold this position for five seconds.

4. JOB/TITLE [transitive]
a) to have a particular job or position, especially an important one:
Do you really think he’s capable of holding such a responsible position?
hold the post/position/office etc (of something)
She was the first woman to hold the office of Australian state premier.
The governor had held the post since 1989.
Whoever is elected will hold office (=have an important political position) for four years.
b) to have a particular title or record, because you have won a competition, are the best at something etc:
The programme still holds the record for the longest running TV series.
The last Briton to hold the title was Bert Nicholson.

5. KEEP/STORE [transitive] to keep something to be used when it is needed:
Further copies of the book are held in the library.
Weapons were held at various sites.

6. KEEP SOMETHING AVAILABLE FOR SOMEBODY [transitive] to agree not to give something such as a ticket, a place at a restaurant, a job etc to anyone except a particular person:
We can hold the reservation for you until next Friday.
hold something open
You can’t expect them to hold the job open for much longer – you’ll have to decide whether you want it or not.

7. KEEP SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE [transitive] to keep someone somewhere, and not allow them to leave:
Police are holding two men in connection with the robbery.
hold somebody prisoner/hostage/captive
A senior army officer was held hostage for four months.
hold somebody incommunicado (=keep someone somewhere and not allow them to communicate with anyone)

8. OPINION [transitive not in progressive] to have a particular opinion or belief:
Experts hold varying opinions as to the causes of the disease.
be widely/generally/commonly held (=be the opinion of a lot of people)
This view is not widely held.
be held to be something
She was held to be one of the most talented actors of her time.
hold that
The judge held that the child’s interests in this case must come first.

9. hold somebody responsible/accountable/liable (for something) to say or decide that someone should accept the responsibility for something bad that happens:
If anything happens to her, I’ll hold you personally responsible.
He may have had a terrible childhood, but he should still be held accountable for his own actions.

10. OWN SOMETHING [transitive] to officially own or possess money, a document, a company etc:
He holds shares in ICI.
Do you hold a valid passport?
a privately held company

11. CONTAIN A PARTICULAR AMOUNT [transitive not in progressive] to have the space to contain a particular amount of something:
The movie theater holds 500 people.
The tank should hold enough to last us a few days.

12. SUPPORT [intransitive and transitive] to be strong enough to support the weight of something or someone:
Careful! I’m not sure that branch will hold you.
The bridge didn’t look as though it would hold.

13. STAY AT SAME LEVEL [intransitive and transitive] to stay at a particular amount, level, or rate, or to make something do this:
The bank is holding interest rates at 4%.
Since then, the pound has held steady against the dollar.
hold sb’s interest/attention (=make someone stay interested)
Colourful pictures help hold the students’ interest.

14. NOT CHANGE [intransitive] to continue to be true, good, available etc:
What I said yesterday holds.
Does your invitation still hold?
hold true/good
Twenty years on, his advice still holds good.
weather/luck holds (out) (=continues to be good)
If our luck holds, we could reach the final.

15. STOP/DELAY [transitive] spoken used in particular phrases to tell someone to wait or not to do something:
I’ll have a tuna fish sandwich please – and hold the mayo (=do not give me any).
hold it!
Hold it! We’re not quite ready.
hold your horses! (=used to tell someone to do something more slowly or carefully)

16. hold your head up (also hold your head high) to behave as if you are proud of yourself or respect yourself:
They may have lost the game, but I still think they’ve earned the right to hold their heads high today.

17. hold your breath
a) to deliberately not breathe out for a short time:
Hold your breath and count to ten.
b) to not breathe out and try not to make a sound because you do not want to be noticed:
Julie shrank back against the wall and held her breath.
c) not hold your breath spoken used to say that you do not expect something to happen, even though someone has said it will:
He promised he’d phone, but I’m not holding my breath.

18. hold (your) fire
a) to not shoot at someone when you were going to
b) to not criticize, attack, or oppose someone when you were going to:
The President urged his party to hold fire on the issue a few days longer.

19. TELEPHONE [intransitive] (also hold the line) spoken to wait until the person you have telephoned is ready to answer:
Mr Stevens is busy at the moment – would you like to hold?
Please hold the line while I transfer you.

20. ARMY [transitive] if an army holds a place, it controls it or defends it from attack:
The French army held the town for three days.

21. MUSICAL NOTE [transitive] to make a musical note continue for a particular length of time

22. FUTURE [transitive] formal if the future holds something, that is what may happen:
Thousands of workers are waiting to see what the future holds.

23. HAVE A QUALITY [transitive] formal to have a particular quality
hold (little) interest/appeal/promise etc
Many church services hold little appeal for modern tastes.

24. hold your own (against somebody) to successfully defend yourself or succeed in a difficult situation, competition etc:
He was a good enough player to hold his own against the Americans.

25. not hold a candle to somebody/something to be much worse than someone or something else

26. be left holding the baby British English, be left holding the bag American English to be left as the only person responsible for dealing with a difficult situation, especially something someone else started:
He was left holding the financial baby when his musical partner joined another band.

27. hold sway to have a lot of influence or power:
Among people here, traditional values still hold sway.

28. hold court to get the attention of everyone while you are talking, especially when you are trying to entertain people:
Joey would walk into the bar and hold court all night.

29. hold your tongue spoken used to tell someone to stop talking or to not tell someone about something:
I reckon you’ve just got to learn to hold your tongue.

30. hold all the cards to have all the advantages in a situation in which people are competing or arguing:
‘There’s not much we can do. They seem to hold all the cards,’ said Dan gloomily.

31. hold fast (to something) to keep believing strongly in something

32. hold a conversation to have a conversation

33. hold the fort to be responsible for something while the person usually responsible for it is not there:
She’s holding the fort while the manager’s on holiday.

34. hold the lead/advantage to be winning in a competition, game etc:
Celtic held the lead in the first half.

35. there’s no holding somebody (back) spoken used to say that someone is so determined to do something that you cannot prevent them from doing it

36. can hold your drink/liquor/alcohol etc to be able to drink a lot of alcohol without getting drunk or ill

37. not hold water if an excuse, a statement etc does not hold water, it does not seem to be true or reasonable

38. hold something/somebody dear formal to care about something or someone a lot:
We were facing the loss of everything we held dear.

39. hold the road if a car holds the road well, you can drive it quickly around bends without losing control
⇒ hold a course at course¹(8)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. hold² S2 W3 noun
[Word Family: noun: hold, holder, holding; verb: hold]
[Sense 1-9, 11: Origin: ⇒ hold¹]
[Sense 10: Origin: hole]

1. HOLDING SOMETHING [singular] the action of holding something with your hands Synonym : grip
hold on
She released her tight hold on the dog.
He tightened his hold, refusing to let her go.
Make sure you keep hold of my hand when we cross the road.
I took hold of her hand and gently led her away.
Grab hold of the rope and pull yourself up.

2. get hold of something (also get a hold of something American English) to find or borrow something so that you can use it:
I need to get hold of a car.
She managed to get a hold of a copy.

3. get hold of somebody (also get a hold of somebody American English) to find and speak to someone about something:
I must get hold of Vanessa to see if she can babysit.

4. CONTROL/POWER [singular] control, power, or influence over something or someone
get/keep a hold on/of something
He struggled to get a hold of his emotions.
I’ve always kept a tight hold on our finances.
I realized that the woman had a hold over my father.

5. on hold
a) if something is on hold, it is going to be done or dealt with at a later date rather than now:
The plans are on hold until after the election.
Since having the kids, my career has been put on hold.
b) if you are on hold, you are waiting to talk to someone on the telephone:
We try not to keep people on hold for more than a couple of minutes.
The agent put me on hold while she consulted a colleague.

6. take (a) hold to start to have a definite effect:
The fever was beginning to take hold.

7. get hold of an idea/an impression/a story etc to learn or begin to believe something:
Where on earth did you get hold of that idea?

8. FIGHT [countable] a particular position that you hold an opponent in, in a fight or a sport such as wrestling

9. CLIMBING [countable] somewhere you can put your hands or feet to help you climb something:
The cliff was steep and it was difficult to find a hold.

10. SHIP [countable] the part of a ship below the deck¹(1) where goods are stored

11. no holds barred when there are no rules or limits on what you are allowed to do:
It seems there are no holds barred when it comes to making a profit.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

hold
noun
I. act/way of holding sth
ADJ. firm, tight He still had me in a tight hold.
VERB + HOLD catch, get, grab, grasp, seize, take Take hold of the handle and give it a hard pull.
have, keep He kept a firm hold on my hand.
lose He lost his hold on the rock and was swept away by the tide.
tighten | relax, release She finally released her hold on me.
PREP. ~ on He tightened his hold on her.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hold
II. influence/control over sb
ADJ. firm, powerful, strong, tight He still has a firm hold on the party.
increasing | fragile, tenuous, weak Her hold on power was now quite tenuous.
VERB + HOLD have | lose The allies lost their hold on northern France.
consolidate, strengthen, tighten Enemy forces have consolidated their hold on the northern province.
break, weaken an attempt to break the hold of the Church
PREP. ~ on This had weakened his hold on power.
~ over He no longer had any hold over her.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hold
verb
BAD: One of the men walked over to me and held my bag.
GOOD: One of the men walked over to me and took hold of my bag.
BAD: As soon as she saw the mouse, she held a knife.
GOOD: As soon as she saw the mouse, she picked up a knife.

Usage Note:
hold = have something in your hand/hands/arms etc: 'I'd been holding the baby for nearly an hour and my right arm was getting tired.'
get/take hold of = put your fingers or hands around something and hold it: 'Quick! Get hold of the rope! The boat's drifting away.'
pick up = put your fingers around something and take it: 'He bent down to pick up the glove that she'd dropped.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

hold to have something in your hand, hands, or arms:
Maria came in holding a letter.
Can I hold the baby?
grip to hold something very tightly and not let it go:
He gripped her arm so she couldn’t walk away.
Jenny gripped the side of the boat to steady herself.
clutch to hold something tightly, especially because you do not want to drop or lose it:
A businessman hurried past, clutching his briefcase.
The little girl clutched onto his hand.
clasp written to hold someone or something tightly, closing your fingers or arms around them:
She was clasping a bunch of small summer flowers.
He clasped her in his arms and kissed her.
get/take hold of something to take something in your hand or hands and hold it:
I took hold of the handle and pulled as hard as I could.
Quickly – try and get hold of that frog!
grasp written to take hold of something firmly, especially in a determined way:
She grasped the lowest branch and pulled herself up into the tree.
grab to take hold of something suddenly and often violently:
He grabbed my bag and ran off with it.
The other man grabbed hold of (=suddenly took hold of ) my arms and threatened me with a knife.
seize /siːz/ written to take hold of something suddenly and often violently:
A police officer ran after him and seized the gun.
hang on (to something) to hold on to something or someone tightly to support yourself:
He hung on to the rail at the back of the motorbike.
Hang on tight!
keep hold of something to continue to hold something:
Greg was struggling to keep hold of the dog.
She tried to take her hand away but he kept hold of it.
a tight/firm hold
Rose had a tight hold of her hand.
tighten your hold
Maria winced as Luke tightened his hold on her fingers.
loosen/relax your hold
Laughing, he loosened his hold until she could pull her arms free.
release your hold (=stop holding something)
As soon as his fingers released their hold, Robyn turned and ran.
catch/grab/seize etc hold of something (=start holding something quickly and firmly)
She grabbed hold of the letter and tore it open.
have hold of something (=be holding something)
Nathan had hold of her hand again.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

keep to leave something in one particular place so that you can find it easily:
Where do you keep the scissors?
The keys are kept in my office.
store to put things away and keep them until you need them:
Villagers have begun storing wood for the winter.
save to keep something so that you can use or enjoy it in the future:
He had been saving the bottle of champagne for a special occasion.
We can save the rest of the pie for later.
file to store papers or information in a particular order or a particular place:
All the contracts are filed alphabetically.
collect to get and keep objects of the same type because you think they are attractive or interesting:
Kate collects old postcards.
hold to keep something to be used when it is needed, especially something that many different people may need to use:
Medical records are now usually held on computers.
reserve formal to keep part of something for use at a later time during a process such as cooking:
Reserve some of the chocolate so that you can use it for decorating the cake.
hoard to keep large amounts of food, money etc because you think you may not be able to get them in the future – used when you do not approve of people doing this because it is not necessary or not fair to other people:
People have been hoarding food and fuel in case there is another attack.
Rationing of basic food products was introduced to prevent hoarding.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

own if you own something, it legally belongs to you:
They live in a flat but they don’t own it.
The land is owned by farmers.
a privately owned plane
have [not in passive] to own something – used when focussing on the fact that someone has the use of something, rather than the fact that they legally own it:
How many students have a cell phone?
I wish I had a sports car.
possess [not in passive] formal to own something:
It is illegal to possess a firearm in Britain.
I don’t even possess a smart suit!
belong to somebody/something [not in passive] if something belongs to you, you own it:
The ring belonged to my grandmother.
hold to own shares in a company:
One man holds a third of the company’s shares.
be the property of somebody/something formal to be owned by someone – written on signs, labels etc:
This camera is the property of the BBC.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

record information about something that is written down:
your medical records
the public records office
I have to keep a record of all my spending when I’m travelling on business.
file a set of written records, or information stored on a computer under a particular name:
He began reading the file on the case.
I think I may have accidentally deleted the file.
accounts (also books informal) an exact record of the money that a company has received and spent:
Companies are required by law to publish their annual accounts.
Someone had been falsifying the accounts.
The company’s books all seemed to be in order.
ledger one of the official books in which a company’s financial records are kept, which show how much it has received and spent:
The costs have been moved from one column of the ledger to another.
minutes an official written record of what is said and decided at a meeting:
Both points are mentioned in the minutes of the last meeting on August 3rd.
diary a book in which you regularly write down the things that have happened to you:
In his diary he wrote, ‘It s lovely having him here, we’ve had so many cosy talks.’
I’ll just check in my diary to see if I’m free.
blog a web page on the Internet on which someone regularly writes about their life, opinions, or a particular subject:
I may not always agree with David, but I always read his blog.
register an official list of names of people, organizations etc:
Guests must sign the hotel register.
the national register of births, deaths, and marriages
Lloyds Register of Shipping
roll an official list of names, especially of people who are allowed to do something such as vote or be in a class at school:
the electoral roll (=list of people who can vote in an area)
The teacher called the roll (=read out the list of the names of the students, who then have to say if they are present).
log an official record that is kept on a ship or plane:
Mr Appleby said he complained to a senior officer, who made a note in the ship’s log.
keep to leave something in one particular place so that you can find it easily:
Where do you keep the scissors?
The keys are kept in my office.
store to put things away and keep them until you need them:
Villagers have begun storing wood for the winter.
save to keep something so that you can use or enjoy it in the future:
He had been saving the bottle of champagne for a special occasion.
We can save the rest of the pie for later.
collect to get and keep objects of the same type because you think they are attractive or interesting:
Kate collects old postcards.
hold to keep something to be used when it is needed, especially something that many different people may need to use:
Medical records are now usually held on computers.
reserve formal to keep part of something for use at a later time during a process such as cooking:
Reserve some of the chocolate so that you can use it for decorating the cake.
hoard to keep large amounts of food, money etc because you think you may not be able to get them in the future – used when you do not approve of people doing this because it is not necessary or not fair to other people:
People have been hoarding food and fuel in case there is another attack.
Rationing of basic food products was introduced to prevent hoarding.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

support to say that you agree with a person or idea, and usually help them because you want them to succeed:
We will support your decision.
Thanks to everyone who supported us throughout the trial.
The tsunami appeal was supported by thousands of people.
back to support a person or plan by providing money or practical help – used about governments or other powerful groups:
The £100 million scheme is backed by the British government.
The people backing him do not have the interests of the club at heart.
endorse to formally and officially say that you support a person, plan, or idea:
Agriculture ministers refused to endorse the Commission's proposals.
get behind somebody/something to support a person or plan and help them be successful - used especially about a group of people:
The England fans really got behind the team.
I really believe in this initiative, but it was hard to find business people who were willing to get behind it.
The police can't do anything unless the public gets behind them.
stand up for somebody/something to say that you support someone or something when they are being attacked:
You were the only person who stood up for me at the meeting.
He stood up for what he believed in.
side with somebody to support one of the people or groups involved in an argument - used especially when you disapprove of this or think it is unfair:
I felt she was siding with her mother rather than standing up for me.
The jury often side with the defendant in these situations.
hold up to stop something from falling:
These poles hold up the outer part of the tent.
His trousers were held up by an old piece of string.
prop up to stop something from falling by putting something against it or under it:
The builders have propped up the walls with steel beams.
carry to support the weight of someone or something – used about something supporting several people, vehicles etc:
The bridge could only carry up to two cars at a time.
The lift can carry up to 12 people.
hold to be strong enough to support the weight of someone or something:
Are you sure the branch will hold both of us?
She prayed that the roof would hold her weight as she crawled along it.
bear literary or technical to hold the weight of something:
The truck did not look strong enough to bear the weight of all those people.
a load-bearing wall
take somebody's/something's weight to be strong enough to support the weight of someone or something:
His damaged leg would not take his weight.
Any large mirrors should have additional support to take their weight.
Make sure you choose a pole that will take the weight of your curtains.
have support
The extreme right-wing parties don’t have much popular support.
give (your) support (also lend (your) support formal)
The American people gave him their enthusiastic support.
The naturalist Sir David Attenborough has lent his support to the campaign.
pledge/offer (your) support (=say that you will support someone or something)
Both the opposition parties pledged full support for the new administration.
get/draw support
The plan drew wide support from parents.
win/gain/attract support
Try to win the support of local shopkeepers.
enjoy/command support formal (=have support)
His views were too extreme to command general support.
drum up/rally support (=get people’s support by making an effort)
Both sides have been drumming up support through the internet.
enlist sb’s support formal (=ask for and get their support)
He wrote to the Prime Minister in an attempt to enlist his support.
mobilize support (=get people to support something in an active way)
Part of their mission was to mobilize popular support for Franco.
build (up) support (=increase it)
Now he needs to build his support by explaining what he believes in.
withdraw support (=no longer support )
He's decided to withdraw his support for the project.
public/popular support
There seemed to be no popular support for war.
widespread/wide/general support
There is widespread support for the Government’s proposal.
strong support
A survey found strong support for the project among hospital staff.
massive support
We have massive public support.
sb’s full support
That view deserves the full support of all farmers.
whole-hearted/enthusiastic support
I want you to know that you have my whole-hearted support.
active support (=approval and help)
Les, with the active support of his wife Pam, has spent several years compiling a list of the prisoners.
unanimous support (=when all members of a group support something)
There was nearly unanimous support for the proposal.
help the things you do to make it easier or possible for someone to do something:
Now that I’m working, the kids need to give me more help with the housework.
The book would never have been finished without his help.
assistance help. Assistance is more formal than help, and is used especially about people giving official help:
The police are asking the public for their assistance.
The project received financial assistance from the government.
Thank you very much for your assistance, sir.
He set up the business with the assistance of his two sons.
aid help. Aid is more formal than help, and is used especially about money, food, medicine etc. that is given to countries or people that are in a very bad situation:
Aid is being sent to areas affected by the earthquake.
The US spends billions of dollars on aid to developing countries.
Another driver stopped and came to his aid.
cooperation help – used especially when people, organizations, or countries work together to get things done, and show that they are willing to do this:
a spirit of international cooperation
The cooperation of landowners was needed for the plan to succeed.
backup extra people, equipment etc that can be used in case people need help:
The officer waited for backup to arrive before making any arrests.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hold
̈ɪhəuld
See: get hold of , lay hold of , leave holding the bag or leave holding the sack

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

hold
Space below the deck of a ship that is used to carry cargo. The holds of a ship are numbered for purposes of cargo identification and location.

[TahlilGaran] Acronyms and Abbreviations Dictionary ▲