hold

verb

/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

[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 holdhold

hold on
cling
clutch
grip
grasp
clasp
hang on

These 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

[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.

in position

[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.

support

[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.

contain

[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.

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.

meeting

[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

record/title

[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

job

[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.

somebody prisoner

[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

keep

[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.

[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.

[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.

on phone

[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

area code
call
dial
engaged
hold
line
message
phone
ring off
voicemail

Topics Phones, email and the internetb2

own

[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.

control

[transitive] hold something to defend something against attack; to have control of something

The rebels held the radio station.

remain

[intransitive] to remain strong and safe or in position

They were afraid the dam wouldn't hold.

[intransitive] to remain the same

How long will the fine weather hold?
If their luck holds, they could still win the championship.

opinion

[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

[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.

road/course

[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

[transitive] hold a course (of a ship or an aircraft) to continue to move in a particular direction

in music

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

alcohol

hold your drink be able to drink a reasonable amount of alcohol without becoming drunk

I can hold my drink as well as anyone.

in sport

[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.

stop

[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.

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

to be true
- The same argument does not hold good in every case.

hold it

(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)

(informal) to hold somebody/something very tightly because you are afraid

there is no holding somebody

a person cannot be prevented from doing something
- Once she gets on to the subject of politics there's no holding her.

hold

noun

/həʊld/

Idioms

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with hand

[singular, uncountable] the action of holding somebody/something; the way you are holding somebody/something synonym grip

hold on somebody/something His hold on her arm tightened.
He lost his hold on the rock and was swept away by the tide.
Make sure you've got a steady hold on the camera.
She tried to keep hold of the child's hand.

Extra Examples

He kept a firm hold on my hand.
He tightened his hold on her.
She finally released her hold on me.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

firm
tight

verb + hold

catch
get
grab
…

preposition

hold on

See full entry

in sport/a fight

[countable] a particular way of holding somebody, especially in a fight or in a sport such as wrestling

in a hold He still had me in a tight hold.
The wrestler put his opponent into a head hold.
The exercise called for the recruits to get out of various holds.

see also scissor holdTopics Sports: other sportsb2

power/control

[singular] influence, power or control over somebody/something

He struggled to get a hold of his anger.
hold over somebody/something What she knew about his past gave her a hold over him.
hold on somebody/something This crisis had weakened his hold on power.

in climbing

[countable] a place where you can put your hands or feet when climbing

in a hold She put her foot firmly in the hold and pulled herself up.

on ship/plane

enlarge image

[countable] the part of a ship or plane where the goods being carried are storedTopics Transport by waterc1, Transport by airc1

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 4 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’. noun sense 5 late 16th cent.: from obsolete holl, from Old English hol, holian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hol (noun) ‘cave’, (adjective) ‘hollow’, and German hohl ‘hollow’, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘cover, conceal’. The addition of -d was due to association with hold (all other senses).

Idioms

catch, get, grab, take, etc. (a) hold of somebody/something

to have or take somebody/something in your hands
- He caught hold of her wrists so she couldn't get away.
- Lee got hold of the dog by its collar.
- Quick, grab a hold of that rope.
- Gently, she took hold of the door handle and turned it.
Extra Examples
- Take hold of the handle and give it a hard pull.
- She grabbed hold of a plate and smashed it.

get hold of somebody

to contact or find somebody
- Where have you been? I've been trying to get hold of you all day.
- Eventually, we got hold of Dan in New York.
- Do you know where I can get hold of a good plumber?
Topics Phones, email and the internetc2

get hold of something

to find something that you want or need
- I need to get hold of Tom's address.
- It's almost impossible to get hold of tickets for the final.
- The police do not know how the boy got hold of the knife.
- How did the press get hold of the story?
to learn or understand something

get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick

(British English, informal) to understand something in the wrong way

no holds barred

with no rules or limits on what somebody is allowed to do
- There will be no holds barred in his interview with the president this evening.
Topics Permission and obligationc2

on hold

delayed until a later time or date
- She put her career on hold to have a baby.
- The project is on hold until more money is available.
- The department has placed its plans on hold pending the results of the elections.
if a person on the phone is put on hold, they have to wait until the person they want to talk to becomes free or has found out the information that is needed
- (British English) I’ll just pop you on hold.
Topics Phones, email and the internetc1

take (a) hold

to begin to have complete control over somebody/something; to become very strong
- Panic took hold of him and he couldn't move.
- They got out of the house just before the flames took hold.
- It is best to treat the disease early before it takes a hold.