hold

I UK [həʊld] / US [hoʊld] verb
Word forms "hold":
present tense I/you/we/they hold he/she/it holds present participle holding past tense held UK [held] / US past participle held
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1) [transitive] to carry something using your hands or arms

Can you hold my bag for a moment?

hold something in/under/between something:

He held the book in his hand.

She was holding the catalogue under her arm.

Barry was holding a coin between his finger and thumb.

a) to carry something using another part of your body

He held the sandwich between his teeth.

b) to carry another person

She was holding a baby in her arms.

2) [transitive] to support someone or something, or to stop them moving

Can you hold this parcel for me so I can tape it up?

He was held by a single rope.

hold something steady:

We had to hold our cups steady as the boat rocked.

hold something shut/still/apart etc:

Hold the torch still.

3) [transitive] to put a part of your body into a particular position

She was holding her hand to her heart.

Ruth held her head in her hands.

4) [transitive] to put your arms around someone because you love them or because they are unhappy

He sat beside her and held her.

hold someone tight/close:

She kissed him and held him tight.

5) [transitive] to have something inside

The corner cupboard holds a TV and CD player.

6) [transitive] to be able to fit an amount of something inside

How much does this jug hold?

The stadium holds 80,000 people.

7)

a) [transitive] if you hold a meeting or event, you organize it

The government agreed to hold a referendum.

b) [often passive] if a meeting or event is held in a particular place or at a particular time, it takes place there at that time

The presidential election was held on April 26.

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Collocations:
Nouns frequently used as objects of hold
▪  conference, demonstration, election, inquiry, meeting, rally, referendum, seminar, talks

8) [transitive] to have something, for example a job

She is the first woman to hold this post.

He held a position of trust and responsibility.

hold office:

President Mitterrand held office for 14 years.

a) to have an opinion about something

She certainly holds some interesting views.

b) formal to own money or property

Three per cent of our shares are now held by US investors.

c) formal to have a document that allows you to do something

He holds a US passport.

9) [transitive] formal to have a particular quality

The project holds a great deal of promise.

He holds no authority over us.

a) used for talking about the feelings that something makes you have. For example, if something holds no fear for you, you are not afraid of it

Food still held no appeal.

Water seems to hold a fascination for him.

b) literary if your face or voice holds a particular emotion, it shows it

His eyes held a look of desperation.

10) [transitive] to keep information, for example on a computer

I wanted to see what information the police held on me.

11) [transitive, often passive] to keep someone somewhere as a prisoner

They were arrested and held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

hold someone at gunpoint:

The family were held at gunpoint overnight.

hold someone prisoner/hostage/captive:

The four men had been held captive for over two years.

a) to stop a train, plane etc from leaving at the right time, so that someone who is late can get on it

b) hold or hold on to to stop someone from leaving or from doing what they want

It seemed that no man could hold her for long.

12) [transitive] to not give something that someone wants to another person

hold a table/reservation/room/seat:

They said they'd hold the reservation for 24 hours.

13) [transitive] to continue to have a particular feeling, especially a bad one

I no longer hold any resentment towards him.

hold a grudge:

He's not someone who holds a grudge.

14) [transitive] to keep an idea or picture in your mind

I tried to hold his image in my mind as I walked away.

15) [intransitive] to continue to support a weight without breaking or being damaged

I don't know if the walls will hold.

a) [intransitive/transitive] to stay or keep something at a particular level

The price has been held at £2, the same as last year.

hold steady:

The coffee market has held steady for a few months.

b) [intransitive] if a promise or offer holds, it still exists

They were pessimistic about the ceasefire holding until the spring.

We need to find out if his offer still holds.

c) [intransitive] if your luck or the weather holds, it continues to be good

d) [intransitive/transitive] to stay in the same position, for example when you are exercising

Hold this position for a few seconds, then relax.

e) [transitive] to continue to play or sing a note without stopping

Hold that last note for a count of four.

16)

a) [transitive] used for saying what people believe

hold (that):

Conventional wisdom held that he would resign.

One school of thought holds that very few people reach their full potential.

b) formal if a court or judge holds that something is true, the court or judge says that it is true

hold (that):

The court held that the defendants were guilty of trespass.

be held to be something:

The clause was held to be unreasonable.

be held to have done something:

The plaintiff was held to have acted reasonably.

17) [intransitive/transitive] to wait in order to speak to someone on the telephone. You can also say that you hold the line

"Do you want to call back later?" "No, I'll hold."

Can you hold the line, please?

18)

a) [transitive] to succeed in keeping control of a particular area in an election

The seat was held by Labour with a reduced majority.

b) if an army holds an area, it has control of it and stops the enemy from getting control of it

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be widely/commonly/generally held — to be believed by a lot of people

It was a commonly held view in those days.

be widely/commonly/generally held (that):

It was widely held the management was out of touch with the workers.

hold someone's attention/interest — to keep someone interested in something

It's hard to hold their attention for more than 15 minutes.

hold the chilli/mustard/cream etc — mainly American

spoken used for telling someone not to give you a particular thing, especially a type of food

Give me a hot dog, and hold the mustard.

hold someone/something dear — to feel that someone or something is very important to you

This government was a threat to everything he held dear.

hold your head up/high — to not be ashamed of yourself

hold someone in high esteem/regard — to admire or respect someone very much

hold the key (to something) — to make it possible to explain or solve something

Tourism holds the key to the region's recovery.

hold someone responsible/accountable/liable — to believe that someone is responsible for something

tradition/legend/myth holds (that) — used for saying what happened according to a traditional story

Tradition holds Jesus Christ was born on this site.

- hold a course

- hold your drink

- hold someone's gaze

- hold good

- hold hands

- hold it

- hold your own

- hold the road

- hold still

- hold that thought

- hold tight

- hold true

- hold yourself

- what the future holds

Phrasal verbs:

- hold against

- hold back

- hold down

- hold forth

- hold in

- hold off

- hold on

- hold on to

- hold out

- hold out for

- hold out on

- hold over

- hold to

- hold together

- hold up

- hold up as

- hold with

See:

fast II

II UK [həʊld] / US [hoʊld] noun
Word forms "hold":
singular hold plural holds
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1) [singular] the fact that you are holding someone or something

The boat turned over and she lost her hold.

hold on:

His hold on her arm tightened.

2) [countable] a way of holding someone, for example in a sport

a wrestling hold

3)

a) [singular] the power or control that someone has over a situation or area

hold on/over:

Their forces had consolidated their hold on the area.

b) power that you have over someone, especially because of something that you know about them

How is it he's got such a strong hold over you?

4) [countable] the area in a plane or ship that is used for goods, vehicles, or bags

5) [countable] a place where you put your foot or hand so that you do not fall, for example when you are climbing

6) [singular] the fact that someone manages to continue doing or having something

hold on:

The nurses were amazed at her tenacious hold on life.

new threats to his hold on power

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get hold of the idea (that) — to start to think that something is true, usually when it is not

Where did you get hold of the idea I was leaving?

grab/catch hold of — to suddenly start holding someone or something

Bobby grabbed hold of her leg.

- get hold of someone

- get hold of something

- keep hold of something

- no holds barred

- on hold

- take hold

- take hold of