# hold

Pronunciation: say "HOHLD" US /hoʊld/, UK /həʊld/

## Verb

1. To grasp or grip something.
   - Simple: To have something in your hand or arms.
   - _Can you hold my bag for a second?_
   - _He was holding the rail with both hands._
2. To organize an event or meeting, usually in the passive.
   - Simple: To plan and run an event or meeting.
   - _They plan to hold the conference in Lisbon._
   - _The funeral was held in the rain._
3. To possess something and retain it, as property, a position, or a record.
   - Simple: To have something, such as land or a job, and keep it.
   - _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._
4. To contain or store something, or to have room for a particular amount.
   - Simple: To have something inside, or to have room for a certain amount.
   - _How much does the jug hold?_
   - _The stadium holds sixty thousand._
5. To keep someone or something from moving or acting freely, whether by physical restraint or by a legal or moral obligation.
   - Simple: To stop someone or something from moving or acting freely, by force or by a rule.
   - _No fence could hold the goats for long._
   - _Thick ice held the ship fast in the harbor all winter._
6. To have or maintain an opinion or belief, or to judge or consider that something is so, as a court does.
   - Simple: To believe something, or to decide that something is true, as a court does.
   - _The court will hold the clause invalid._
   - _Many philosophers held that the soul was immortal._
7. To detain someone.
   - Simple: To keep someone locked up and not let them go.
   - _They can't hold him without evidence._
   - _The hostages were held for three days._
8. To stop or wait, or to make someone or something wait or be delayed.
   - Simple: To stop or wait, or to make someone or something stop or wait.
   - _Hold the front page, something has happened._
   - _The train was held at the signal for ten minutes._
9. To make someone answerable for their actions, or to require them to keep a promise or agreement.
   - Simple: To make someone take responsibility for what they did, or make them keep a promise.
   - _Hold them to the contract._
   - _She was held accountable for the losses._
10. Not to give way or come apart; to remain unbroken or unsubdued.
   - Simple: To stay in one piece and not break.
   - _Pull hard on the knot before you climb to make sure it will hold._
   - _The defense held until the last minute._
11. To maintain or continue something, such as a course of conduct or an argument.
   - Simple: To keep something going without stopping or changing.
   - _Hold your course and ignore the wind._
   - _He held his peace while the others argued about the bill._
12. To keep oneself, a part of one's body, or something else in a particular position or state.
   - Simple: To keep your body, or a thing, in a certain 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._
17. Of a rule, statement, or theory, to stay true, valid, or applicable.
   - Simple: To still be true or still count.
   - _Old rules hold in new situations more often than you'd think._
   - _The theory holds for gases but not for liquids._
18. To reserve something for someone.
   - Simple: To save something for someone so they can have it later.
   - _Please hold two seats in my name._
   - _A room was held for the late arrival._
19. In the imperative, in an order at an informal restaurant, asking that a usual component be left out.
   - Simple: Used when ordering food to ask for one usual part to be left out.
   - _Coffee, hold the sugar._
   - _Burger and fries, hold the onions._
25. To be carrying or have on hand illegal drugs that are for sale. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To have illegal drugs with you to sell.
   - _Nobody at the party was holding, so the night ended early._
   - _He was holding when they searched him._
26. To keep control of the bladder or bowels and not relieve oneself.
   - Simple: To stop yourself from going to the bathroom when you need to go.
   - _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._
27. In tennis, to win a game in which one is the server.
   - Simple: In tennis, to win a game when you are the one serving.
   - _Both players held serve all the way to the tiebreak._
   - _If she can hold here, the set is hers._
28. To keep someone interested in or attentive to something for a stretch of time.
   - Simple: To keep someone interested in something, so they keep watching or listening for a while.
   - _A good teacher knows how to hold a room of restless teenagers._
   - _The documentary holds your attention even when the subject is tax law._
29. To support the weight of something and keep it in position without breaking or giving way.
   - Simple: To carry the weight of something and keep it up without breaking or falling down.
   - _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._

## Noun

14. An act of holding something, or a grasp or grip on it.
   - Simple: The act of holding something, or the way you grip it.
   - _Get a good hold before you lift._
   - _Her hold on the rope was slipping._
15. The state of a telephone call that stays connected while the conversation is paused and the caller waits.
   - Simple: When a phone call stays connected but you must wait before someone talks to you.
   - _Can I put you on hold for a moment?_
   - _Hold music is designed to be forgotten._
16. An arrangement that keeps something reserved for someone or stops it being used or dealt with for a time.
   - Simple: An arrangement to keep something for someone or to stop it being used for a while.
   - _Put a hold on the account until the check clears._
   - _Two holds delayed the launch by an hour._
20. Power, control, or a firm grip on someone or something, such as a person's mind or life itself.
   - Simple: Power or control over someone or something, or a strong grip on it.
   - _The old fear still had its hold on her._
   - _The party's hold on the region is weakening._
21. The part of an object meant to be grasped, or anything one can grip with hands or feet.
   - Simple: A part you can grip with your hands or feet, as when climbing.
   - _Her foot slipped off a small hold halfway up the climbing wall._
   - _Good holds make an easy route._
22. The cargo area of a ship or aircraft.
   - Simple: The space in a ship or plane where goods and bags are carried.
   - _Rats got into the hold on the long voyage._
   - _Both holds were sealed before sailing._
23. In wrestling and self-defense, a position or grip used to control an opponent.
   - Simple: In wrestling, a grip used to control the other fighter.
   - _Break the hold by turning your hips._
   - _Every hold has a counter._
24. The property of keeping styled hair in shape.
   - Simple: How well a hair product keeps hair in place.
   - _Choose a firm hold for an updo._
   - _Humidity ruins the hold of any spray._

## Verb

13. To take place or occur. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To happen at a certain time or place.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To keep oneself from doing something, or to check an impulse.
- (verb) To have one's right to land or a title come from a particular person or source, as a tenant from a lord.
- (noun) A pen or shelter in which livestock are kept out of danger.
- (noun) A workout move in which the body is kept still in one position for a fixed length of time, such as a plank.
- (noun) The share of all money staked that a casino or bookmaker keeps as its winnings, given as a percentage.
- (noun) The whole sum of money staked on bets.
- (noun) In tennis, a game won by the player who was serving, rather than lost to a break.
- (noun) On a slot machine, a button or option that keeps chosen reels still while the rest spin again.
- (noun) A feature of older video games that pauses play so it can be resumed later.
- (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.
- (noun) An area of sky set aside for aircraft to fly in circuits while waiting for clearance to go on.
- (adjective) Kind, loyal and trustworthy.

## Origin

**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.
**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").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hold (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).