hold

SayHOHLD/hoʊld/UK/həʊld/

41 meanings of hold

1
with your handsverbtransitive
To grasp or grip something.
Can you hold my bag for a second?
He was holding the rail with both hands.
UsagePast forms held, held (not ~~incorrect: holded~~). Common: hold hands, hold something in your arms.
Similargrip, grasp, clutch, grab, clasp
Oppositerelease, drop
Note
The physical grip sits at the base of a verb with pastoral roots. Old English healdan goes back to a Germanic verb meaning "to tend, herd," so keeping watch over animals lies behind the closed hand. Halt is a doublet, the same Germanic word arriving by another route. Halt keeps the stopping idea that hold also has in the sense of waiting or delaying.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Hold descends from Old English healdan and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haldaną, meaning ‘to tend, herd’. en.wiktionary.org
Halt is a doublet of hold, borrowed through Middle French from German. en.wiktionary.org
Hold shares the stopping sense found in halt. en.wiktionary.org
2
organize (event)verbtransitive
To organize an event or meeting, usually in the passive.
They plan to hold the conference in Lisbon.
The funeral was held in the rain.
UsageOften passive: the meeting will be held on Friday, was held in Lisbon. Common objects: a meeting, an election, a party.
Similarhost, organize, stage, conduct, convene
Oppositecancel
3
keep owningverbtransitive
To possess something and retain it, as property, a position, or a record.
Her family hopes to hold the farm for a fifth generation, and she has no plans to sell it.
She holds the record for the mile.
UsageCommon in hold the record for, hold office, hold a job, hold shares.
Similarkeep, have, possess, own, occupy
Oppositerelinquish, lose, surrender
4
containverbtransitive
To contain or store something, or to have room for a particular amount.
How much does the jug hold?
The stadium holds sixty thousand.
UsageThe container is the subject: the hall holds five hundred, the tank can hold fifty litres.
Similarcontain, accommodate, take, seat
5
verbtransitive
To keep someone or something from moving or acting freely, whether by physical restraint or by a legal or moral obligation.
No fence could hold the goats for long.
Thick ice held the ship fast in the harbor all winter.
Similarcontain, restrain, confine, trap
Oppositerelease, free
Note
Older English used it for any check on force or freedom: in Shakespeare's King John we cannot hold mortality's strong hand, and Crashaw begs Death to hold its blow. Today the restraining sense lives on most clearly in hold one's tongue, which Macaulay uses of Goldsmith's want of self-command, and in plain physical restraint, as ice holds a ship fast.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Shakespeare uses hold to mean restrain in King John; King John speaks the line ‘We cannot hold mortality’s strong hand.’ gutenberg.org
Richard Crashaw’s poetic speaker asks Death to withhold its blow in ‘Upon the Death of the Most Desired Mr. Herrys’. gutenberg.org
Macaulay uses ‘hold his tongue’ when describing Goldsmith’s insufficient self-command. gutenberg.org
6
think thatverbtransitive
To have or maintain an opinion or belief, or to judge or consider that something is so, as a court does.
The court will hold the clause invalid.
Many philosophers held that the soul was immortal.
UsageTwo patterns: hold that + clause, or hold something to be true, as in hold these truths to be self-evident.
Similarconsider, believe, judge, deem, maintain
Note
Two constructions carry the opinion. One is a that-clause: she holds that index funds win. The other is an object followed by to be and a complement, the shape of "we hold these truths to be self-evident" in 1776. The second sets out a position as a formal statement, while the first simply reports a view. A close match is have it that, as in she would have it that the plan was hers.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
The quoted wording appears in the Declaration of Independence, dated July 4, 1776. archives.gov
7
keep prisonerverbtransitive
To detain someone.
They can't hold him without evidence.
The hostages were held for three days.
UsageOften passive: held for three days, held hostage, held without charge.
Similardetain, keep, imprison, confine, jail
Oppositerelease, free, liberate
8
delayverbtransitive
To stop or wait, or to make someone or something wait or be delayed.
Hold the front page, something has happened.
The train was held at the signal for ten minutes.
UsageCommon requests include hold the elevator and hold on a moment (wait briefly).
Similarstop, delay, keep
9
make responsibleverbtransitive
To make someone answerable for their actions, or to require them to keep a promise or agreement.
Hold them to the contract.
She was held accountable for the losses.
UsagePatterns: hold someone to a promise; hold someone responsible or accountable for something.
Similarbind, keep
Oppositerelease, absolve
10
verbintransitive
Not to give way or come apart; to remain unbroken or unsubdued.
Pull hard on the knot before you climb to make sure it will hold.
The defense held until the last minute.
Similarlast, endure, stand, survive
Oppositebreak, give, collapse, yield
11
verbtransitive
To maintain or continue something, such as a course of conduct or an argument.
Hold your course and ignore the wind.
He held his peace while the others argued about the bill.
Similarmaintain, keep, continue, sustain, pursue
Oppositeabandon
Note
Here what is kept going is a course or a silence, and two fixed phrases preserve the sense. Hold one's peace, already old by then, appears in the 1611 Bible's "Hold not thy peace, and be not still." Hold one's course appears in Milton's seasons that "shall hold their course." The difference from holding a belief is that this sense sustains an activity, not a belief or resolve.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Hold one's peace was already old by 1611; it occurs in Chaucer's Middle English. chaucer.fas.harvard.edu
The quoted words occur in Psalm 83:1 in the original 1611 King James Bible. kingjamesbibleonline.org
Milton uses 'shall hold their course' of recurring natural cycles in Paradise Lost, Book XI; Michael speaks the passage. gutenberg.org
12
verbintransitive
To keep oneself, a part of one's body, or something else in a particular position or state.
He held perfectly still in the tall grass so the deer wouldn't notice him.
Hold steady while I take the picture.
UsageOften followed by an adjective: hold still, hold steady, hold firm.
Similarstay, keep, remain

Less common meanings

13
verbarchaicintransitive
To take place or occur.
Similaroccur, meet, sit, convene
14
nouncountable or uncountable
An act of holding something, or a grasp or grip on it.
Get a good hold before you lift.
Her hold on the rope was slipping.
UsageCommon phrases: get hold of, take hold of, grab hold of something; lose your hold.
Similargrip, grasp, clasp
15
noununcountable
The state of a telephone call that stays connected while the conversation is paused and the caller waits.
Can I put you on hold for a moment?
Hold music is designed to be forgotten.
UsageMostly on hold: put a caller on hold, be on hold for ages; also hold music.
16
temporary blocknouncountable
An arrangement that keeps something reserved for someone or stops it being used or dealt with for a time.
Put a hold on the account until the check clears.
Two holds delayed the launch by an hour.
UsageUsually put a hold on or place a hold on something; plans set aside are on hold.
Similarfreeze, delay
17
be trueverbintransitive
Of a rule, statement, or theory, to stay true, valid, or applicable.
Old rules hold in new situations more often than you'd think.
The theory holds for gases but not for liquids.
UsageMost often hold true, or alone: the rule holds. Hold for names the case: holds for gases.
Similarapply, stand
Note
What holds here is a claim rather than a person: a rule, a proposition, an offer. Locke writes in 1691 that a rule holds in land as in other commodities. Underneath is the older idea of keeping a position: a claim that holds stays where it was put.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Under the requested first-publication convention, use 1692, the first edition's title-page year. The prefatory letter and publication licence are dated 1691. hf-web-mint2.history.ox.ac.uk
Locke says that a rule holds in land as in other commodities. en.wiktionary.org
18
verbtransitive
To reserve something for someone.
Please hold two seats in my name.
A room was held for the late arrival.
UsageHold something for someone: hold a table for two, hold my seat.
Similarreserve, save, keep, book
19
leave outverbtransitiveimperative
In the imperative, in an order at an informal restaurant, asking that a usual component be left out.
Coffee, hold the sugar.
Burger and fries, hold the onions.
UsageFollows the item ordered, after a comma: burger, hold the onions. It suits casual orders at a counter or bar.
Similarskip, omit, nix
Oppositeadd
Note
A counter imperative that turns the verb inside out: in an order, hold the mustard means leave it off, not keep it.
20
nouncountable
Power, control, or a firm grip on someone or something, such as a person's mind or life itself.
The old fear still had its hold on her.
The party's hold on the region is weakening.
UsageHave a hold on or over someone; a hold tightens, weakens or is lost.
Similargrip, control, power, influence, grasp
21
place to gripnouncountable
The part of an object meant to be grasped, or anything one can grip with hands or feet.
Her foot slipped off a small hold halfway up the climbing wall.
Good holds make an easy route.
Similargrip, purchase
22
cargo spacenouncountable
The cargo area of a ship or aircraft.
Rats got into the hold on the long voyage.
Both holds were sealed before sailing.
Note
A different word that only looks like the verb: it is an alteration of hole, reshaped under the influence of hold. The cargo space therefore began as a hollow, not a place of keeping. Dutch hol still covers hole, cave and cargo hold in one word. The sense applies to both ships and aircraft, and it often appears as cargo hold or in the plural.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
The cargo-space noun has a different origin from the verb: it derives from hole, altered under the influence of hold. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch hol has the meanings hole, cave and cargo hold. en.wiktionary.org
23
wrestlingnouncountable
In wrestling and self-defense, a position or grip used to control an opponent.
Break the hold by turning your hips.
Every hold has a counter.
Similargrip, lock
Note
Wrestling and self-defense use hold as a technical term for a controlling grip or position, one that is applied, escaped and countered. You get an opponent in a hold, and the hold is a means to a result such as a pin. Unlike an ordinary grip, it can be a position of the whole body, not only of the hands.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
A wrestling hold can be used to pin an opponent. uww.org
A hold can involve the body beyond the hands. uww.org
24
styling strengthnouncountable or uncountable
The property of keeping styled hair in shape.
Choose a firm hold for an updo.
Humidity ruins the hold of any spray.
UsageOften without an article on product labels: firm hold, flexible hold, stiffer hold.
Note
It describes the product rather than the hair. A gel has hold, while the style itself simply stays in place.
25
carry drugsverbslangintransitive
To be carrying or have on hand illegal drugs that are for sale.
Nobody at the party was holding, so the night ended early.
He was holding when they searched him.
UsageMostly alone, as in are you holding?, with the drug left unnamed; in ordinary talk, say what is being held.
Note
In this underworld slang the drugs are never named. The verb stands alone, typically in the question "Are you holding?", and a 1933 gangster's memoir already has customers opening with it.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The memoir quotes customers opening with “Are you holding?”; the words are attributed to customers, not presented as Laven's own question. en.wiktionary.org
26
not pee yetverbtransitive
To keep control of the bladder or bowels and not relieve oneself.
The line for the restroom was so long that she decided to hold it.
Older dogs can't always hold their bladders through the night.
UsageThe object is often just it: I can't hold it. Plain and polite enough for a doctor or a parent.
Note
When it is named, it is the bladder or bowels; the same frame gives hold one's breath, though breath is held by choice rather than continence.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Holding one's breath is an act of voluntary control. open.edu
Continence concerns bladder and bowel control, rather than breath-holding. nth.nhs.uk
27
tennisverbtransitive or intransitive
In tennis, to win a game in which one is the server.
Both players held serve all the way to the tiebreak.
If she can hold here, the set is hers.
Oppositelose
Note
The usual object is serve: a player holds serve, or simply holds. Because the server normally has the advantage, holding is the expected result, and the real news in a set is a break, when the receiving player wins the game instead. Commentators count holds and breaks to tell the story of a match.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
The server normally has an advantage, making breaks especially significant. wtatennis.com
Players are normally expected to win their service games. en.wikipedia.org
A break occurs when the receiving player wins the game. lta.org.uk
Match commentary uses counts of holds and breaks to explain a match's progress. wtatennis.com
28
keep audienceverbtransitive
To keep someone interested in or attentive to something for a stretch of time.
A good teacher knows how to hold a room of restless teenagers.
The documentary holds your attention even when the subject is tax law.
UsageUsual objects: attention, interest, an audience, a room. Compare catch or grab attention, which happens in a moment.
Similarengage, captivate, grip
Note
The meaning is all about duration. Something catches or grabs your attention in a moment; it holds your attention when it keeps it.
29
bear weightverbtransitive
To support the weight of something and keep it in position without breaking or giving way.
Engineers doubted the old bridge could hold a fully loaded truck.
Check that the bracket is screwed into a stud, or it won't hold the TV.
UsageCommon: hold the weight, hold a load; capacity often follows: rated to hold fifty pounds.
Similarsupport, bear, carry
Note
The test is load: a bridge, a shelf or a bracket either holds the weight or fails. With an object it names what is carried (hold a loaded truck, hold the TV); without one it shades into the "not giving way" meaning, as when a knot holds.
30
verbarchaic
To keep oneself from doing something, or to check an impulse.
His dauntless heart would fain have held / From weeping, but his eyes rebelled.
1685, John Dryden, Threnodia Augustalis: A Funeral Pindaric Poem
31
verbarchaic
To have one's right to land or a title come from a particular person or source, as a tenant from a lord.
His imagination holds immediately from nature.
1817, William Hazlitt, The Round Table
32
noun
A pen or shelter in which livestock are kept out of danger.
33
noun
A workout move in which the body is kept still in one position for a fixed length of time, such as a plank.
34
noun
The share of all money staked that a casino or bookmaker keeps as its winnings, given as a percentage.
35
noun
The whole sum of money staked on bets.
36
noun
In tennis, a game won by the player who was serving, rather than lost to a break.
37
noun
On a slot machine, a button or option that keeps chosen reels still while the rest spin again.
38
noundated
A feature of older video games that pauses play so it can be resumed later.
A hold facility is available; H holds, and S restarts.
1983, New Generation Software, Knot in 3D (video game instruction leaflet)
39
noun
In baseball, credit awarded to a reliever who comes in during a save situation, records one or more outs, and leaves before the game ends without giving up the lead.
40
noun
An area of sky set aside for aircraft to fly in circuits while waiting for clearance to go on.
41
adjectiveobsolete
Kind, loyal and trustworthy.
at the proper moment, I stepped forward with a gay heart and a hold one
1854, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Passages from a Relinquished Work”

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–21, 23–29

From Middle English holden, from Old English healdan, going back to Proto-Germanic *haldaną ("to tend, herd") and perhaps to a Proto-Indo-European root *kel- ("to drive"). It is a doublet of halt, with cognates in Dutch houden and German halten.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

Hold descends from Middle English holden, Old English healdan and Proto-Germanic *haldaną, glossed as 'to tend, herd'. en.wiktionary.org
A possible further origin is Proto-Indo-European *kel-, meaning 'to drive'. en.wiktionary.org
Hold is a doublet of halt. en.wiktionary.org
Dutch houden and German halten are cognates of English hold. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 22

An alteration of hole, reshaped under the influence of hold. It is related to Dutch hol ("hole, cave, cargo hold") and holte ("cavity, hollow").

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The cargo-space noun hold is an alteration of hole influenced by hold. en.wiktionary.org
This noun is related to Dutch hol and holte, with the stated meanings. en.wiktionary.org