hold verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of hold verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hold

verb
 
 
/həʊld/
 
/həʊld/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they hold
 
/həʊld/
 
/həʊld/
he / she / it holds
 
/həʊldz/
 
/həʊldz/
past simple held
 
/held/
 
/held/
past participle held
 
/held/
 
/held/
-ing form holding
 
/ˈhəʊldɪŋ/
 
/ˈhəʊldɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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    in hand/arms

  1.  
     [transitive] to have somebody/something in your hand, arms, etc.
    • hold somebody/something She was holding a large box.
    • They were holding hands (= the right hand of one person holding the left hand of the other).
    • hold somebody/something + adv./prep. I held the mouse by its tail.
    • The girl held her father's hand tightly.
    • He was holding the baby in his arms.
    • The winning captain held the trophy in the air.
    • The lovers held each other close.
    Extra Examples
    • A man holding a map beckoned to me.
    • The person holding most cards when the time limit is reached is the winner.
    • People were holding banners and placards as they stood outside the building.
    • Each woman held a bottle in her hand.
    • The family made a circle, held hands, and bowed their heads.
    • It had started to rain, so several people held umbrellas over me.
    • They walked along the street, holding hands.
    • I held the baby gently in my arms.
    • He held her by the shoulders.
    Synonyms holdholdhold on ▪ cling ▪ clutch ▪ grip ▪ grasp ▪ clasp ▪ hang onThese words all mean to have somebody/​something in your hands or arms.hold to have somebody/​something in your hand or arms:
    • She was holding a large box.
    • I held the baby gently in my arms.
    hold on (to somebody/​something) to continue to hold somebody/​something; to put your hand on somebody/​something and not take your hand away:
    • Hold on and don’t let go until I say so.
    cling to hold on to somebody/​something tightly, especially with your whole body:
    • Survivors clung to pieces of floating debris.
    clutch to hold somebody/​something tightly, especially in your hand; to take hold of something suddenly:
    • She stood there, the flowers still clutched in her hand.
    • He felt himself slipping and clutched at a branch.
    grip to hold on to something very tightly with your hand:
    • Grip the rope as tightly as you can.
    grasp to take a strong hold of somebody/​something:
    • He grasped my hand and shook it warmly.
    The object of grasp is often somebody’s hand or wrist.    clasp (formal) to hold somebody/​something tightly in your hand or in your arms:
    • They clasped hands (= held each other’s hands).
    • She clasped the children in her arms.
    The object of clasp is often your hands, somebody else’s hand or another person.    hang on (to something) to hold on to something very tightly, especially in order to support yourself or stop yourself from falling:
    • Hang on tight. We’re off!
    Patterns
    • to hold/​clutch/​grip/​clasp something in your hand/​hands
    • to hold/​clutch/​clasp somebody/​something in your arms
    • to hold/​clutch/​grip/​grasp/​clasp/​hang on to something
    • to hold/​cling/​hang on
    • to hold/​clutch/​clasp somebody/​something to you
    • to hold/​hold on to/​cling to/​clutch/​grip/​grasp/​clasp/​hang on to somebody/​something tightly
    • to hold/​hold on to/​cling to/​clutch/​grip/​grasp/​clasp somebody/​something firmly
    • to hold/​hold on to/​clutch/​grip/​clasp/​hang on to somebody/​something tight
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • firmly
    • securely
    • tightly
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
     [transitive] to put your hand on part of your body, usually because it hurts
    • hold something She groaned and held her head.
    • hold something + adv./prep. The prisoner held his head in his hands.
    • She started to dance, holding her hands rapturously to her chest.
    3.

    in position

  3.  
     [transitive] to keep somebody/something in a particular position
    • hold something + adv./prep. Hold your head up.
    • Hold this position for a count of 10.
    • The wood is held in position by a clamp.
    • People held handkerchiefs over their mouths.
    • I had to hold my stomach in (= pull the muscles flat) to zip up my jeans.
    • hold something + adj. I'll hold the door open for you.
    4.

    support

  4.  
     [transitive] hold somebody/something to support the weight of somebody/something
    • I don't think that branch will hold your weight.
    • She let him hold most of her weight as he led her upstairs.
    • Several pieces of wood joined together can hold more weight than just one piece.
    5.

    contain

  5.  
     [transitive] hold something/somebody to have enough space for something/somebody; to contain something/somebody
    • This barrel holds 25 litres.
    • The plane holds about 300 passengers.
    • The inner box holds the cheese and has holes in it.
    • Each 180-litre container will hold up to three black bags of rubbish.
  6.  
     hold something to have or offer something; to be going to bring something
    • I don't know what the future holds.
    • This research holds the key to understanding life.
    7.

    meeting

  7.  
     [transitive] hold something to have a meeting, competition, conversation, etc.
    • Each month she holds a meeting with her entire staff.
    • The British Foreign Minister held talks with the leaders of the two countries.
    • He has already held discussions with Irish shareholders.
    • It's impossible to hold a conversation with all this noise.
    • The next conference will be held in Ohio.
    • The country is holding its first free elections for 20 years.
    • to hold an event/a party/a competition
    Extra Examples
    • The premiere was held in the Four Seasons Hotel.
    • The Lisburn Social Club is holding a special Mother's Day lunch next Sunday.
    • Special events are held annually as part of a fund-raising strategy.
    • The Prime Minister announced his intention to hold a referendum.
    • She held a garden party to celebrate the artist's 60th birthday.
    • The meeting will be held in the community centre.
    Topics Working lifeb1

    8. record/title

  8.  
     [transitive] hold something to have something you have gained or achieved
    • Who holds the world record for the long jump?
    • She held the title of world champion for three years.
    Topics Successb2

    9. job

  9.  
     [transitive] hold something to have a particular job or position
    • How long has he held office?
    • Mrs Thatcher held the post of prime minister longer than anyone else last century.
    • Men still hold most positions of power in this country.
    • The company has held the advertising contract since 2005.
    • The professor will hold a seat on the advisory board.
    • Labour's John Taylor and Mary Smith both held seats in this constituency.
    10.

    somebody prisoner

  10.  
     [transitive] to keep somebody and not allow them to leave
    • hold somebody Police are holding two men in connection with last Thursday's bank raid.
    • hold somebody + noun He was held prisoner for two years.
    • Eight people were held hostage for four months.
    • She was held captive in a castle.
    • She was arrested and held in custody in a police station.
    Topics Crime and punishmentb2

    11. keep

  11.  
     [transitive] hold something to keep somebody’s attention or interest
    • There wasn't much in the museum to hold my attention.
    • These discussions held little interest for Lucy.
  12. [transitive, intransitive] to keep something at the same level, rate, speed, etc.; to stay at the same level, rate, etc.
    • hold something (at something) Hold your speed at 70.
    • Interest rates have been held at 8% for a year now.
    • hold something to something They are trying to hold public spending to £300 billion.
    • hold at something The company's shares held at £3.47.
    • In trading today the dollar held steady against the yen.
  13. [transitive] hold something to keep something so that it can be used later
    • Employees do not have access to personal records held on computer.
    • Our solicitor holds our wills.
    • We can hold your reservation for three days.
    14.

    on phone

  14. [intransitive, transitive] to wait until you can speak to the person you have phoned
    • That extension is busy right now. Can you hold?
    • hold the line She asked me to hold the line.
    Wordfinder
    Topics Phones, email and the internetb2

    15. own

  15. [transitive] hold something (rather formal) to own or have something
    • Employees hold 30% of the shares.
    • He was born in South Africa but he holds a British passport.
    • Applicants must hold a full driving licence.
    16.

    control

  16. [transitive] hold something to defend something against attack; to have control of something
    • The rebels held the radio station.
    17.

    remain

  17. [intransitive] to remain strong and safe or in position
    • They were afraid the dam wouldn't hold.
  18. [intransitive] to remain the same
    • How long will the fine weather hold?
    • If their luck holds, they could still win the championship.
    19.

    opinion

  19. [transitive] to have a belief or an opinion about somebody/something
    • hold something He holds strange views on education.
    • hold somebody/something + adv./prep./adj. She is held in high regard by her students (= they have a high opinion of her).
    • to be held in high esteem
    • He has very firmly held religious beliefs.
    Extra Examples
    • deeply held religious beliefs
    • privately held views
    • This view is not widely held.
    Topics Opinion and argumentb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • commonly
    • widely
    • deeply
    • …
    See full entry
  20. [transitive] (formal) to consider that something is true
    • hold that… I still hold that the government's economic policies are mistaken.
    • hold somebody/something + adj. Parents will be held responsible for their children's behaviour.
    • be held to be something These vases are held to be the finest examples of Greek art.
    21.

    road/course

  21. [transitive] hold the road (of a vehicle) to be in close contact with the road and easy to control, especially when driven fastTopics Transport by car or lorryc2
  22. [transitive] hold a course (of a ship or an aircraft) to continue to move in a particular direction

    23. in music

  23. [transitive] hold something to make a note continue for a particular time

    24. alcohol

  24. hold your drink be able to drink a reasonable amount of alcohol without becoming drunk
    • I can hold my drink as well as anyone.
    25.

    in sport

  25. [transitive, intransitive] (in tennis, badminton, etc.) to win a game in which you are serving
    • hold (your) serve Zverev held serve to take the set.
    • Halep held to love.
    26.

    stop

  26. [transitive] hold something used to tell somebody to stop doing something or not to do something
    • Hold your fire! (= don't shoot)
    • Hold the front page! (= don't print it until a particular piece of news is available)
    • (North American English, informal) Give me a hot dog, but hold the (= don't give me any) mustard.
    27. Word Originverb Old English haldan, healdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch houden and German halten; the noun is partly from Old Norse hald ‘hold, support, custody’.
Idioms Most idioms containing hold are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example hold the fort is at fort. 
hold good
  1. to be true
    • The same argument does not hold good in every case.
hold it
  1. (informal) used to ask somebody to wait, or not to move
    • Hold it a second—I don't think everyone's arrived yet.
hold/hang on for/like grim death (British English)
(also hold/hang on for dear life North American English, British English)
  1. (informal) to hold somebody/something very tightly because you are afraid
there is no holding somebody
  1. a person cannot be prevented from doing something
    • Once she gets on to the subject of politics there's no holding her.
See hold in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee hold in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: hold

Nearby words

unclear
adjective
 
 
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OPAL written words
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