Hold Definition

hōld
held, holding, holds
verb
held, holding, holds
To take and keep with the hands or arms, or by other means; grasp; clutch; seize.
Webster's New World
To retain a hold, a firm contact, etc.
Hold tight.
Webster's New World
To go on being firm, loyal, etc.
To hold to a resolution.
Webster's New World
To aim or direct; point.
Held a hose on the fire.
American Heritage
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.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
noun
holds
The act or a means of grasping.
American Heritage
The act or manner of grasping or seizing; grip; specif., a way of gripping an opponent in wrestling.
Webster's New World
A thing to hold or hold on by.
Webster's New World
A thing for holding or containing something else.
Webster's New World
A controlling or dominating force; restraining authority.
To have a firm hold over someone.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
adjective
Wiktionary
idiom
get hold of
  • To come into possession of; find:

    Where can I get hold of a copy?

  • To communicate with, as by telephone:

    tried to get hold of you but the line was busy.

American Heritage
hold a candle to
  • To compare favorably with:

    This film doesn't hold a candle to his previous ones.

American Heritage
hold
  • To fulfill one's part of an agreement; do one's share.
American Heritage
hold (one's) own
  • To do reasonably well despite difficulty or criticism.
American Heritage
hold out on (someone)
  • To withhold something from:

    Don't hold out on me; start telling the truth.

American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Hold

Noun

Singular:
hold
Plural:
holds

Origin of Hold

  • From Middle English hold, holde, from Old English hold (“gracious, friendly, kind, favorable, true, faithful, loyal, devout, acceptable, pleasant”), from Proto-Germanic *hulþaz (“favourable, gracious, loyal”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to tend, incline, bend, tip”). Cognate with German hold (“gracious, friendly, sympathetic, grateful”), Danish and Swedish huld (“fair, kindly, gracious”), Icelandic hollur (“faithful, dedicated, loyal”), German Huld (“grace, favour”).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English holden, from Old English healdan, from Proto-Germanic *haldaną ‘to tend, herd’, from Proto-Indo-European *kel- ‘to drive’ (compare Latin celer (“quick”), Tocharian B kälts (“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω (kellō, “to drive”), Sanskrit kaláyati (“he impels”)). Cognate to West Frisian hâlde, Low German holden, holen, Dutch houden, German halten, Danish holde.

    From Wiktionary

  • Alteration (influenced by hold) of Middle English hole husk, hull of a ship from Old English hulu kel-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Alteration (due to hold) of hole. Cognate with Dutch hol (“hole, cave, den, cavity, cargo hold”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English holden from Old English healdan

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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