held
- 1Simple past and past participle of hold.
The committee held its first meeting in the old town hall.
He has held the same job for twenty years.
Note
One spelling does double duty for an irregular verb. It is the simple past (she held the rope) and also the participle behind perfect and passive forms (he has held, it was held). The passive is where it often turns up, carrying hold's senses of reserving, delaying and detaining: a seat held for a latecomer, a flight held at the gate, a suspect held for questioning. Context, not the form, tells you which meaning is at work.
The suspect was held overnight for questioning.
Two seats were held for the guests of honor.
held is a form of hold
hold, verb: To grasp or grip something. Full entry
- Spelling
- hold → held: irregular (no -ed)
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