hold Hear it!

hold¹ Definition

hold (hōld)

transitive verb held, hold·ing

  1. to take and keep with the hands or arms, or by other means; grasp; clutch; seize
  2. ☆ to keep from going away; not let escape to hold a prisoner, hold the train
  3. to keep in a certain place or position, or in a specified condition to hold one's head up
  4. to restrain or control; specif.,
    1. to keep from falling; bear the weight of; support pillars holding the roof
    2. to keep from acting; keep back hold your tongue
    3. to keep from advancing or attacking
    4. to keep from getting an advantage
    5. to get and keep control of; keep from relaxing to hold someone's attention
    6. to continue; maintain to hold a course
    7. to sustain or satisfy for the time being a muffin should hold you until supper time
    8. ☆ to keep (a letter, etc.) for delivery later
    9. to keep (a room, etc.) for use later
    10. to keep under obligation; bind hold him to his word
    11. to resist the effects of (alcoholic liquor)
  5. to have and keep as one's own; have the duties, privileges, etc. of; own; possess; occupy to hold shares of stock, to hold the office of mayor
  6. to keep against an enemy; guard; defend hold the fort
  7. to have or conduct together; specif.,
    1. to carry on (a meeting, conversation, etc.)
    2. to perform (a function, service, etc.) to hold classes in the morning
  8. to call together or preside over to hold court
  9. to have or keep within itself; have room or space for; contain a bottle that holds a quart
  10. to have or keep in the mind
  11. to have an opinion or belief about; regard; consider to hold a statement to be untrue
  12. Law
    1. to decide; adjudge; decree
    2. to bind by contract
    3. to possess by legal title to hold a mortgage
  13. Music to prolong (a tone or rest)

Etymology: ME holden < Anglian OE haldan (WS healdan), akin to Ger halten, Goth haldan, to tend sheep < IE base *kel-, to drive, incite to action > Gr kelēs, swift horse, L celer, swift: prob. sense development: drive (cattle, etc.)—tend—possess

intransitive verb

  1. to retain a hold, a firm contact, etc. hold tight
  2. to go on being firm, loyal, etc. to hold to a resolution
  3. to remain unbroken or unyielding; not give way the rope held
  4. to have right or title: usually with from or of
  5. to be in effect or in force; be true or valid a rule that holds in any case
  6. to keep up; continue [the wind held from the north]; specif.,
    1. to remain in the air, waiting to land a plane held over Boston
    2. to remain on a telephone line that line is busy — will you hold?
  7. Archaic to go no further; stop oneself; halt: usually in the imperative

noun

  1. the act or manner of grasping or seizing; grip; specif., a way of gripping an opponent in wrestling
  2. a thing to hold or hold on by
  3. a thing for holding or containing something else
    1. a controlling or dominating force; restraining authority to have a firm hold over someone
    2. a being aware or in control to lose one's hold on life
  4. a means of confinement; prison
  5. a temporary halt or delay, as to make repairs, or an order to make such a halt
  6. an order reserving something
  7. Obsolete a stronghold
  8. Obsolete the act or fact of guarding, possessing, etc.
  9. Music pause (sense )

hold¹ Idioms

catch hold of

to take; seize; grasp

get hold of

  1. to take; seize; grasp
  2. to acquire

hold back

  1. to restrain
  2. to refrain
  3. to retain

hold down

  1. to keep down or under control; restrain
  2. Informal to have and keep (a job)
  3. to limit; restrict the rain held down attendance at the game

hold forth

Etymology: cf. Phil. 2:16

  1. to speak at some length; preach; lecture
  2. Now Rare to offer; propose

hold in

  1. to keep in or back
  2. to control oneself or one's impulses

hold off

  1. to keep away or at a distance
  2. to keep from attacking or doing something
  3. to delay action on a matter, as in awaiting additional information

hold on

  1. to retain one's hold
  2. to continue; persist
  3. Informal stop!wait!

hold one's own

to maintain one's place or condition in spite of obstacles or reverses

hold out

  1. to last; endure; continue
  2. to continue resistance; stand firm; not yield
  3. to offer
  4. Informal to fail or refuse to give (what is to be given)

hold out for

Informal to stand firm in demanding

hold over

  1. to postpone consideration of or action on
  2. to keep or stay for an additional period or term
  3. ☆ to keep as a threat or advantage over

hold up

  1. to keep from falling; prop up
  2. to show; exhibit
  3. to last; endure; continue
  4. to stop; delay; impede
  5. ☆ to stop forcibly and rob
  6. Informal to overcharge

hold with

  1. to agree or side with
  2. to approve of

lay hold of

or take hold of
  1. to take; seize; grasp
  2. to get control or possession of

no holds barred

Informal with no set rules or limits

on hold

  1. in a period or state of interruption or delay the countdown was on hold
  2. in a state of interruption in a telephone call, as during a transfer to another line I was on hold for five minutes

hold² Definition

hold (hōld)

noun

  1. the interior of a ship below decks, esp. below the lower deck, in which the cargo is carried
  2. the compartment for cargo in an aircraft

Etymology: altered (after hold) < hole or < MDu hol, a hole, cave, ship's hold

hold Synonyms

hold

n.

grasp, clutch, clasp; see grip 1, 2.

catch hold of

take, grasp, catch; see seize 1.

get hold of
  1. take, grasp, catch; see seize 1.

  2. get, acquire, receive;

lay <strong>or </strong>take hold of

take, grasp, get; see seize 1.

no holds barred*

without rules, unrestricted, unrestrained; see unlimited.

hold Synonyms

hold

v.

  1. To have in one's grasp

    grasp, grip, clutch, carry, embrace, clench, cling to, detain, enclose, restrain, confine, check, take hold of, contain, hold down, hold onto, not let go, never let go, hang on, have a firm hold of, squeeze, press, secure, hug, handle, fondle, have in hand, keep in hand, keep fast, retain, keep, keep a grasp on, maintain a grasp on, clasp, hold fast, hold tight, keep a firm hold on, tie, keep close, unite, palm, take, catch, clinch, fasten upon, cradle, have an iron grip on*, hang on to*; see also seize 1.

    Antonyms let fall, release*, let go. *

  2. To have in one's possession

    keep, retain, possess; see maintain 3, own 1.

  3. To remain firm

    resist, persevere, keep staunch; see continue 1, endure 2.

  4. To adhere

    attach, cling, take hold; see adhere, fasten 1, stick 1.

  5. To be valid

    exist, continue, remain true, have bearing, be the case, endure, be in effect, operate, be in force; see also be 1.

    Antonyms stop*, expire*, be out-of-date.

  6. To believe

    regard, aver, judge; see believe 1, think 1.

  7. To contain

    have the capacity for, accommodate, be equipped for; see contain 1, include 1.

  8. To support; often used with up

    sustain, brace, buttress, prop, lock, stay, shoulder, underpin, uphold, underprop, shore up, bear up, bolster up; see also support 1. See syn. study at contain.

hold Telecom Definition

A voice telephone system (Centrex, KTS, or PBX) feature that enables a user to place an existing call in a suspended state simply by depressing the hold feature button, with a holding indication usually in the form of a blinking light next to the associated line. The user can reconnect the call at any time by depressing the button associated with the line on hold. In a KTS environment, any user can retrieve the held call from any telephone set where the line appears unless the primary user placed the call on exclusive hold, also known as I-hold, which often is initiated by depressing the hold button twice. See also Centrex, KTS, and PBX.

hold Usage Examples

Object

  • meeting: We propose to hold a meeting in early March to review the first steps of the process.
  • conference: Report of an international working conference held at the Danish college of pharmacy in Copenhagen from January 26 to 29.
  • position: Held a Test Team position for at least 2 years.
  • office: During this time he also held the office of County Grand Master of Armagh Orange Lodge.
  • workshop: In addition to this, we have held two most enjoyable workshops in the last two years.
  • seminar: On 2 July 2003 at Kensington Town Hall, London, FOCAL will be holding a one-day seminar.

Preposition: on

  • th: Entries close on 18 th October 2002 for the 2003 marathon to be held on 13 th April 2003.
  • behalf: It set up an employe benefit trust in 1989 to build up a substantial shareholding to be held on behalf of the employees.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

accountable: This paper shows how groups in India hold governments accountable for their spending and the delivery of public services.

Adjective complement

  • accountable: There were deaths in police custody for which no one was held accountable.
  • liable: The charges involved are quite considerable and you will be held liable for them.
  • responsible: The Hospital cannot be held responsible for losses of money or valuables not handed in for safe keeping.
  • true: The same question holds true for the Divine name Redeemer.
  • captive: You have two hundred million demons who have been released, who have been held captive for a long period of time.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • on: It was once a Parliamentary Church, built in 1829 by Thomas Telford, who, ... ... ... Hold on, hold on.
  • up: These can hold up to 20,000 liters of water.

Followed by a transitive particle

down: Select the cell and hold down the CTRL key.

Present participle complement

pend: He said that 2 applications were currently being held pending a response from the Department.

Preposition: in

esteem: He was held in high esteem as an energetic, friendly, unassuming and entertaining companion.

Preposition: under

auspice: The weapons in Belgium are US nukes, held under the auspices of NATO.

Browse dictionary entries near hold

  1. Holbein
  2. Holarctic
  3. Hokusai
  4. hokum
  5. hokku
  6. Hokkaido
  7. hokeypokey
  8. hoke
  9. Hokan
  10. hoity-toity
  1. hold back
  2. hold down
  3. hold 'em
  4. hold fast
  5. hold firm
  6. hold forth
  7. hold harmless
  8. hold high
  9. hold off
  10. hold office