Meaning of hold in English

hold

verb

/hoʊld/ uk

/həʊld/

held | held

hold verb (SUPPORT)

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A2 [ T ]

to take and keep something in your hand or arms:

Can you hold the bag while I open the door?

He was holding a gun.

hold someone's hand The little girl held her mother's hand.

hold someone in your arms He held her in his arms and let her cry.

hold something open Could you hold the door open, please?

hold something steady A wind was blowing which made it hard to hold he camera steady.

hold something high He was holding an American flag high above his head.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to hold someone or something

holdCan you hold this for a moment?
claspHe reached out to clasp her hand.
gripThe baby gripped my finger with her tiny hand.
clutchSilent and pale, she clutched her mother's hand.
clingOne little girl was clinging onto a cuddly toy.
hang onThe child was hanging on to her mother's skirt.

See more results »

[ T ]

to support something:

hold someone's weight Will the rope be strong enough to hold my weight?

be held on with Each wheel is held on with four bolts.

hold something on There's a special clip to hold the microphone on.

be held together with The parts are held together with glue.

hold something together This ligament holds the bones together at the joint.

hold hands

When two people hold hands, one person holds the other person's hand, especially to show that they love each other:

They walked along holding hands.

More examplesFewer examples

You have to hold my hand when we cross the road.
Polly and Susie were having a squabble about who was going to hold the dog's lead.
Suddenly he drew a knife and held it to my throat.
Would you mind holding the door open for me, please?
The screws that hold the bed together had loosened.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Having in your hands

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hold verb (CONTAIN)

B1 [ T not continuous ]

to contain or be able to contain something:

This jug holds exactly one pint.

One bag won't hold all of the groceries - we'd better take two.

Computers can hold huge amounts of information.

[ T not continuous ]

If you say that the future holds something, you mean that that thing will happen:

Who can tell what the future holds?

[ T not continuous ]

to have a particular quality:

She's very religious, so death holds no fear for her.

More examplesFewer examples

It used to hold paper bags, but gradually came to be used for magazines.
That vase isn't big enough to hold all these flowers.
Will the room hold a hundred people?
The container held a gallon of soup.
We knew the chest held a lot of gold jewelry.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Including and containing

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hold verb (CONTROL)

C1 [ T ]

to have something, especially a position or money, or to control something:

He currently holds the position of technical manager.

The bank holds large reserves of gold.

Despite incurring heavy losses, the rebels now hold the town and the surrounding hills.

More examplesFewer examples

He holds a 40 percent stake in the company.
As chairman of the association, he held office for over 20 years.
She's held the post for 13 years.
He holds several company directorships.
Who holds the copyright on this article?

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Having and owning - general words

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Controlling and being in charge

hold verb (IN A COMPETITION)

B2 [ T ]

to have a particular position in a competition:

hold the record She holds the world record.

hold the lead They held the lead until the bottom of the ninth inning.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Winning, losing & scoring in sport

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hold verb (KEEP)

C1 [ T ]

to keep something, especially when it might have been lost:

I asked the store to hold the dress for me until this afternoon.

hold someone's attention You have to be a fairly good speaker to hold an audience's attention.

hold someone's interest She tried to read, but her book didn't hold her interest.

B2 [ T ]

to keep someone in a place so that they cannot leave:

hold someone in custody The police are holding several people in custody (= at the police station) for questioning.

hold someone hostage The terrorists held him hostage for 18 months.

be held prisoner I was held prisoner in a tiny attic room.

More examplesFewer examples

The hostages are being held as a bargaining chip by terrorist organizations.
The three men were held hostage for two days by masked gunmen.
His verbal pyrotechnics could hold an audience spellbound.
The terrorists were holding several British diplomats captive.
The police are holding several people in custody for questioning.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Keeping and storing things

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Putting people in prison

Arresting & charging

hold verb (MAKE HAPPEN)

B1 [ T ]

to have something such as a meeting or an election:

Could we hold a meeting to discuss this tomorrow afternoon?

The election will be held on August 8.

I find it's almost impossible to hold a sensible conversation with her.

More examplesFewer examples

They frequently hold conferences at that hotel.
Dr Clark holds a clinic on Tuesday mornings.
They held a dinner to celebrate his retirement.
The president held an emergency meeting to discuss military strategy with his defense commanders yesterday.
The director is holding auditions next week for the major parts.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Causing things to happen

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hold verb (CONTINUE)

[ I or T ]

to cause to stay or continue in the same way as before:

Let's hope our good luck holds.

I hope the repair holds until we get the car to a garage.

The government is committed to holding exports at their present level.

The ship/aircraft held its course.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Continue & last

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hold verb (BELIEVE)

[ T not continuous ]

to have an idea or opinion:

hold an opinion You are perfectly entitled to hold that opinion, but I disagree with you.

hold a belief Some people still hold the belief that unemployment is the result of laziness.

hold someone responsible

to believe that someone is responsible for something or should be blamed for it:

You sold it to me, so if it breaks I'll hold you responsible.

hold someone responsible for something/doing something I hold them responsible for a lot of things that happened.

hold someone/something to be something

formal

to believe someone or something to be something:

She was held to be guilty of theft.

People who believe in ghosts sometimes hold them to be souls that could not find rest after death.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Believing

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Duty, obligation and responsibility

hold verb (DELAY)

[ I or T ]

to wait, or to stop something temporarily:

They've decided to hold all future deliveries until the invoice has been paid.

hold your breath How long can you hold your breath (= stop breathing)?

Will you hold my calls for the next half hour please?

hold the line She's on the phone at the moment - will you hold the line (= wait on the phone until she can speak to you)?

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Delaying and wasting time

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hold verb (NOT INCLUDE)

[ T ] US

If you ask someone to hold something, you do not want them to include it:

I'd like a ham sandwich on rye, hold the lettuce.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Excluding

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Idioms

can't hold a candle to
can't hold your liquor
can't hold your water
don't hold your breath
hold all the cards
hold court
hold down a job
hold everything!
hold the floor
hold (down) the fort

More idioms

hold your head (up) high
hold your horses
hold it!
hold the key
hold your nose
hold on
hold your own
hold the phone
hold the reins
hold the road
hold still
hold sway
hold that thought
hold your tongue
hold true
hold water
there is no holding someone (back)

Phrasal verbs

hold it/that against someone
hold back
hold someone/something back
hold something back
hold someone/something down
hold something down
hold forth
hold off
hold someone off
hold on

More phrasal verbs

hold onto someone/something
hold onto/on to something
hold out
hold something out
hold out for something
hold out on someone
hold something over
hold someone over
hold someone to something
hold up
hold someone/something up
hold something up
hold something up as something
not hold with something

hold

noun

/hoʊld/ uk

/həʊld/

hold noun (SUPPORT)

B2 [ S or U ]

the act of holding something or someone, or the way you do this:

keep a tight hold on Keep a tight hold on your tickets.

lose hold of Don't worry if you lose hold of the reins - the horse won't wander off.

See also

foothold (ROCK CLIMBING)
handhold
toehold (IN ROCK)

catch/get/grab/take hold of someone/something

to start holding something or someone:

He took hold of one end of the carpet and tugged.

[ C ]

in fighting sports, a position in which one person holds another person so that they cannot move

[ C ]

a place to put the hands and feet, especially when climbing

More examplesFewer examples

Without saying a word, she took hold of my arm and marched me off to the headmaster's office.
She relinquished her hold on the steering wheel.
He got hold of the money legally, without resort to violence.
He caught hold of my arm.
He took hold of the plant's root and pulled.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Having in your hands

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Fighting sports

Mountaineering & rock climbing

hold noun (CONTROL)

C2 [ S ]

power or control over something or someone:

hold on Their company has a strong hold on the computer market.

hold over She was totally entranced by him and nothing we said could break his hold over her.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Limiting and restricting

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hold noun (MUSIC)

[ C ] music specialized

in a piece of music, when a note or rest (= a period of silence between notes) is held for longer than usual:

Holds and pauses are indicated using a symbol called a fermata.

See also

fermata

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Technical music terms

See more results »

hold noun (DELAY)

on hold

If you are on hold when using the phone, you are waiting to speak to someone:

Mr. Briggs is on hold.

If an activity is on hold, it has been intentionally delayed:

Everything's on hold again because of the bad weather.

hold noun (SPACE)

[ C ]

the space in a ship or aircraft in which goods are carried

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Parts of ships & boats

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Air travel: parts of airplanes

Idioms

get hold of
no holds barred
take hold

(Definition of hold from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

hold | Intermediate English

hold

verb

/hoʊld/

past tense and past participle held us/held/

hold verb (TAKE FIRMLY)

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[ I/T ]

to take and keep something in your hand or arms:

[ T ] The nurse held the child in her arms.

[ I ] Hold tight (= firmly) to the railing.

[ I/T ]

If you hold your nose, you press your nose tightly between thumb and finger to close it.

hold hands

When two people hold hands, each one takes the other person’s hand in his or her hand, esp. to show affection.

hold verb (MOVE AWAY)

[ always + adv/prep ]

to move something away from your body:

[ M ] Rosie held an apple out to the horse.

[ M ] Close your eyes and hold out your hands.

[ M ] All those who agree, please hold your hand up.

hold verb (KEEP IN PLACE)

[ always + adv/prep ]

to keep something in a particular place or position:

[ M ] Could you hold the door open for me, please?

[ M ] I can’t fasten this skirt unless I hold my stomach in (= keep it tight with my muscles so that it does not stick out).

[ M ] Each wheel is held on by/with four bolts.

[ M ] Individual parts are held together with glue.

[ I ] Hold still (= Do not move)!

hold verb (CONTINUE)

[ I/T ]

to continue or cause to continue in the same way as before:

[ I ] If the weather holds, we can go sailing.

[ T ] The ship held its course.

[ T ] She seemed to hold the note she was singing for more than a minute.

holds true

If something holds true, it continues to be true:

Einstein’s theories still hold true today.

hold verb (DELAY)

[ I/T ]

to stop something from happening, or to delay something temporarily:

[ T ] How long can you hold your breath?

[ I/T ]

Someone on the telephone who asks you to hold wants you to wait until that person or someone else can speak to you:

[ I ] Her line is busy, would you like to hold?

[ I/T ]

If you hold something that is usually included in food, you do not include it:

[ T ] I’d like a salad, but hold the dressing.

hold verb (CONTAIN/SUPPORT)

[ T ]

to support or contain something or be able to contain or support it:

This bottle holds exactly one pint.

Modern computers can hold (= store) huge amounts of information.

Will the rope be strong enough to hold the weight?

holds promise

If something holds promise, it is likely to be successful:

The new drug holds promise for relieving chronic pain.

hold verb (CONTROL)

[ T ]

to keep control or possession of something:

His speech held the audience’s attention for over an hour.

He was held prisoner for three days.

After many days of fighting, the rebels now hold the town.

The champion held the lead until the last lap.

[ T ]

If someone who committed a crime is held, that person is kept guarded in a police station.

[ T ]

If you hold a job or a financial account, you have it:

He currently holds the position of managing editor.

She holds three different accounts with the same bank.

hold verb (CAUSE TO HAPPEN)

[ T ]

to organize or cause a meeting, election, or social event to happen:

The election will be held on the 8th of November.

We’re holding our annual New Year’s Day party again.

hold verb (BELIEVE)

[ T ]

to believe an idea or opinion to be correct, or to state that something is true:

He holds unpopular views on many subjects.

I hold him responsible for the damage to my car.

[ + that clause ] Murphy’s law holds that if anything can go wrong, it probably will.

Idioms

hold it
hold your own
hold the fort
hold your tongue
hold water
not hold a candle to someone/something

Phrasal verbs

hold something against someone/something
hold someone to something
hold back (something)
hold down something
hold down something
hold forth
hold off (something)
hold on
hold on/tight
hold onto something

More phrasal verbs

hold out
hold out something
hold out for something
hold out on someone
hold over something/someone
hold together (something)
hold up
hold up someone/something
hold up someone/something
hold up something/someone

hold

noun

/hoʊld/

hold noun (FIRM SUPPORT)

[ U ]

the act of taking and keeping something in your hand or arms, or the way you do this:

Don’t lose hold of the dog’s leash.

If you can get/grab/take hold of that end of the box, I’ll take this end and we’ll lift it.

hold noun (DELAY)

on hold

If something is on hold, it is intentionally delayed:

The space launch is on hold until the weather clears.

If you are on hold when using the telephone, you are waiting to speak to someone:

His line is busy – can I put you on hold?

hold noun (CONTROL)

[ U ]

control or power over something or someone:

The team is strengthening its hold on first place.

She has a strong hold on her daughters.

hold noun (SPACE)

[ C ]

the space in a ship or aircraft where goods are carried

hold noun (POSITION IN SPORTS)

[ C ]

(in some sports) a position in which one person prevents another from moving:

In karate, beginners learn several simple holds.

(Definition of hold from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

hold | Business English

hold

verb

/həʊld/ us

held | held

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[ T ]

to have something, especially a position or money, or to control something:

hold power/control The CEO holds power only as long as the directors approve of his methods.

hold a stake/an interest/shares The bank holds an interest in the real estate company.

hold a position/job/post Before taking his present post, he held the position of chief financial regulator.

hold a mortgage/loan She holds the mortgage, so she has the right to foreclose on the property.

hold the rights to sth Who holds the rights to screen these games?

hold a patent The world's largest biotech firm holds patents on the DNA sequences of thousands of varieties of grain.

[ T ]

to keep something, especially when it might be needed in the future:

Accountants recommend holding records for more than seven years.

Ten seats are being held for the chief executives.

hold stocks/supplies We hold large stocks of all these items, and are generally able to guarantee next-day delivery.

[ T ] FINANCE

to keep money or an investment, and not sell it:

We'll hold the bonds until the resale market improves.

For these stocks, the recommendation is: Hold!

See also

buy-and-hold

[ T ]

to contain or be able to contain a number of people or things:

Each container can hold 500 pounds of cargo.

The auditorium is designed to hold 1,000 people.

[ T ] MEETINGS

to make an event, especially a meeting, happen:

hold a meeting/conference/conference call

The software development conference is scheduled to be held in San Francisco in April.

[ I or T ] FINANCE

to stay, or make something stay, at the same level as before:

hold a rate/price/tax The Federal Reserve held interest rates at 3%.

The Chancellor is expected to hold capital gains tax at its present rate.

The markets held steady, despite the report of higher inflation.

[ T ] LAW

to make a judgment in a court of law:

A superior court judge held that the plaintiff had no legal claim to royalties.

[ I or T ] COMMUNICATIONS

to wait when you are phoning until you can talk to the person that you want to speak to:

He'll answering another call right now. Can you hold?

Please hold the line. I'll try to connect you.

hold all the cards

to be in a strong position when you are competing with someone else, because you have all the advantages:

Management holds all the cards when it comes to the negotiations over job cuts.

hold the floor

MEETINGS

to speak in a formal situation, such as at a conference or meeting:

Martin held the floor for almost an hour.

hold down the fort (UK hold the fort)

WORKPLACE

to deal with a situation, or do someone's job, while they are away:

She went off on vacation, leaving me to hold down the fort.

Will you hold the fort while I go for lunch?

hold your ground

to keep or defend an opinion or an idea, even when other people do not agree with you:

We'll hold our ground until they accept our changes to the contract.

hold sb's hand

to help someone to do something, especially when it is a new or difficult task:

A call center technician held my hand as he talked me through installing the hardware.

You shouldn't really need your boss to hold your hand any longer.

hold office

GOVERNMENT, POLITICS

to have a position of authority, especially in government:

A president can only hold office for two terms of four years each.

Things were not very different when the previous government held office.

hold your own

to continue to be in a strong or fairly strong position, even when there are difficulties:

hold your own against sb/sth They held their own against heavily marketed overseas brands.

hold the purse strings

to control when and how money is spent:

Head office holds the purse strings, and we'll need approval to buy any new equipment.

hold the reins

to be in control of something:

He currently holds the reins at one of the fastest growing mobile communications businesses in the country.

hold sth in reserve

to keep something until a time when it is needed for a particular purpose:

Four million additional tons of grain are held in reserve each month.

hold sway

formal

to have control or influence over someone or something:

Party leaders held sway over the hearings.

hold title

PROPERTY

to have or control the rights to land, buildings, or other property:

hold title to sth She held title to the property and all mineral rights.

hold (its) value

to not fall in price:

The older models haven't held value as much as collectors anticipated.

Phrasal verbs

hold back
hold sb/sth back
hold back on sth
hold sth down 
hold off
hold on
hold on to/onto sth/sb
hold out for sth
hold sth over
hold up

More phrasal verbs

hold sth up

hold sb/sth up

hold

noun

/həʊld/ us

[ S ]

power or control over someone or something:

a hold over sb/sth With the new law, Congress strengthened its hold over mortgage rates.

a hold on sth They're keeping their strong hold on the smartphone market.

a strong/tight hold

keep/tighten/lose your hold

[ C or U ] STOCK MARKET

a suggestion that someone should not sell the shares that they own in a company, but that they should not buy any new shares:

Analysts changed "buys" to "holds" after the annual report appeared.

We have recently downgraded our recommendation for the Forest Group to "Hold".

See also

hold rating

[ C ] BANKING

a delay by a bank to prevent money from being taken from an account:

It took three days for the hold on the payment to be cleared.

[ C ] TRANSPORT

the place on a ship or aircraft where goods are carried:

Inspectors examined the hold to look for stowaways.

on hold

not being done now, but perhaps being done later:

Any new building has been put on hold until the economy improves.

not changing or moving:

The dollar is on hold at the same level it was at a year ago.

COMMUNICATIONS

waiting for someone to return to or to begin a phone conversation:

Technical support had me on hold for 20 minutes while they researched my question.

I'll just put you on hold while I ask my manager about this.

take hold

to start to have an effect:

New stimulus funds took hold in time to keep unemployment low.

Examples of hold

hold

What is the standard he holds himself to?

From Los Angeles Times

And by all indications, they'd both been holding back a number of punches they were itching to throw.

From The Atlantic

I may hold this office for another 14 months.

From NPR

This observation holds regardless of students' socioeconomic status.

From CNN

Many men hold their tongue in order to keep the peace.

From Huffington Post

We're pretty sure these shorts are only there to serve as a place to hold a phone.

From Huffington Post

She stood in the center of one of the rooms holding court.

From OregonLive.com

And depending on whether another core is holding the data, you might need to contact that core.

From Phys.Org

And if you aren't planning on visiting the museum this weekend, that first travel tip still holds true.

From Washington Post

He held leadership positions in a number of professional societies.

From NOLA.com

But he still holds more than one hundred twenty records and sets many new ones every year.

From Voice of America

They don't buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different.

From TIME

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of hold?

Translations of hold

in Chinese (Traditional)

支撐, 握住，抓住, 支撐，承受…

in Chinese (Simplified)

支撑, 握住，抓住, 支撑，承受…

in Spanish

sostener, coger, sujetar…

in Portuguese

segurar, agarrar, apoiar…

in more languages

in Marathi

in Japanese

in Turkish

in French

in Catalan

in Dutch

in Tamil

in Hindi

in Gujarati

in Danish

in Swedish

in Malay

in German

in Norwegian

in Urdu

in Ukrainian

in Russian

in Telugu

in Arabic

in Bengali

in Czech

in Indonesian

in Thai

in Vietnamese

in Polish

in Korean

in Italian

धरणे, पेलवणे, काहीतरी असणे किंवा समाविष्ट करण्यास सक्षम असणे…

～を手に持つ, ～を抱きかかえる, （ある位置に）～を保つ…

elinde/kucağında tutmak, belli bir konumda tutmak, düzenlemek…

tenir, (faire) tenir, maintenir…

aguantar, agafar, mantenir…

(vast)houden, houden, ’t uithouden…

உங்கள் கையிலோ அல்லது கைகளிலோ ஏதாவது ஒன்றை எடுத்து வைத்துக்கொள்ள, எதையாவது ஆதரிக்க, எதையாவது அடக்கிக்கொள்ளுதல் / கொண்டிருக்க அல்லது கொண்டிருக்க முடியும்…

(हाथों या बाँहों में कोई वस्तु) थामना, पकड़ना, (भार या कुछ चीज़) संभालना…

પકડવું, પકડી રાખવું, ઉપાડી લેવું…

holde, indeholde, afholde…

hålla [i], hålla, hålla [kvar i häkte]…

memegang, menggigit, mengepit…

halten, festhalten, (ent)halten…

holde, hold, holde omkring…

تھامنا, پکڑنا, بوجھ اٹھانا…

тримати, держати, утримувати…

держать, проводить, организовывать…

ఏదైనా ఒక వస్తువును మీ చేతుల్లోకి లేదా అరచేతుల్లో కి తీసుకోవడం లేదా పట్టుకోవడం, దేనినైనా పడిపోకుండా పట్టుకోవడం, పట్టు/ ఏదైనా కలిగి ఉండు లేదా కలిగి ఉండే సామర్థంతో ఉండు…

يُمْسِك, يُثَبِّت, يَعْقُد…

ধরে রাখা, কিছু সমর্থন করা, ধরা বা ধারণ করা…

držet, vydržet, (za)držet…

memegang, menahan, tahan…

จับ, ถือด้วยมือ, งับ…

cầm, nắm, giữ…