hold 1 (h ld)v. held (h  ld), hold·ing, holds v.tr. 1. a. To have and keep in one's grasp: held the reins tightly. b. To aim or direct; point: held a hose on the fire. c. To keep from falling or moving; support: a nail too small to hold the mirror; hold the horse steady; papers that were held together with staples. d. To sustain the pressure of: The old bridge can't hold much weight. 2. a. To keep from departing or getting away: Hold the bus! Hold the dog until I find the leash. b. To keep in custody: held the suspect for questioning. c. To retain (one's attention or interest): Televised sports can't hold my interest. d. To avoid letting out or expelling: The swimmer held her breath while underwater. 3. a. To be filled by; contain. b. To be capable of holding. See Synonyms at contain. c. To have as a chief characteristic or quality: The film holds many surprises. d. To have in store: Let's see what the future holds. 4. a. To have and maintain in one's possession: holds a great deal of property. b. To have as a responsible position or a privilege: held the governorship for six years. c. To have in recognition of achievement or superiority: holds the record for the one-mile race; holds the respect of her peers. 5. a. To maintain control over: Thieves held the stolen painting for ransom. b. To maintain occupation of by force or coercion: Protesters held the embassy for a week. c. To withstand the efforts or advance of (an opposing team, for example). d. To maintain in a given condition, situation, or action: The storyteller held the crowd spellbound. 6. a. To impose control or restraint on; curb: She held her temper. b. To stop the movement or progress of: Hold the presses! c. To reserve or keep back from use: Please hold two tickets for us. Hold the relish on that hamburger. d. To defer the immediate handling of: The receptionist held all calls during the meeting. 7. a. To be the legal possessor of. b. To bind by a contract. c. To adjudge or decree: The court held that the defendant was at fault. d. To make accountable; obligate: He held me to my promise. 8. a. To keep in the mind or convey as a judgment, conviction, or point of view: holds that this economic program is the only answer to high prices. b. To assert or affirm, especially formally: This doctrine holds that people are inherently good. c. To regard in a certain way: I hold you in high esteem. 9. a. To cause to take place; carry on: held the race in Texas; hold a yard sale. b. To assemble for and conduct the activity of; convene: held a meeting of the board. 10. a. To carry or support (the body or a bodily part) in a certain position: Can the baby hold herself up yet? Hold up your leg. b. To cover (the ears or the nose, for example) especially for protection: held my nose against the stench. v.intr. 1. a. To maintain a grasp or grip on something. b. To stay securely fastened: The chain held. 2. a. To maintain a desired or accustomed position or condition: hopes the weather will hold. b. To withstand stress, pressure, or opposition: The defense held. We held firm on the negotiations. 3. To continue in the same direction: The ship held to an easterly course. 4. To be valid, applicable, or true: The observation still holds in cases like this. 5. To have legal right or title. Often used with of or from. 6. To halt an intended action. Often used in the imperative. 7. To stop the countdown during a missile or spacecraft launch. 8. Slang To have in one's possession illicit or illegally obtained material or goods, especially narcotics: The suspect was holding. n. Phrasal Verbs: 1. a. The act or a means of grasping. b. A manner of grasping an opponent, as in wrestling or aikido: a neck hold; an arm hold. 2. Something that may be grasped or gripped, as for support. 3. A control or adjustor on a television that keeps the screen image in proper position: adjusted the horizontal hold. 4. A telephone service that allows one to temporarily interrupt a call without severing the connection. 5. a. A bond or force that attaches or restrains, or by which something is affected or dominated: a writer with a strong hold on her readership. b. Complete control: has a firm hold on the complex issues. c. Full understanding: has a good hold on physics. 6. Music a. The sustaining of a note longer than its indicated time value. b. The symbol designating this pause; a fermata. 7. a. A direction or indication that something is to be reserved or deferred. b. A temporary halt, as in a countdown. 8. a. A prison cell. b. The state of being in confinement; custody. 9. Archaic A fortified place; a stronghold. hold back 1. To retain in one's possession or control: held back valuable information; held back my tears. 2. To impede the progress of. 3. To restrain oneself. hold down 1. To limit: Please hold the noise down. 2. To fulfill the duties of (a job): holds down two jobs. hold forth To talk at great length. hold off 1. To keep at a distance; resist: held the creditors off. 2. To stop or delay doing something: Let's hold off until we have more data. hold on 1. To maintain one's grip; cling. 2. To continue to do something; persist. 3. To wait for something wanted or requested, especially to keep a telephone connection open. hold out 1. To present or proffer as something attainable. 2. To continue to be in supply or service; last: Our food is holding out nicely. 3. To continue to resist: The defending garrison held out for a month. 4. To refuse to reach or satisfy an agreement. hold over 1. a. To postpone or delay. b. To keep in a position or state from an earlier period of time. 2. To continue a term of office past the usual length of time. 3. To prolong the engagement of: The film was held over for weeks. hold to To remain loyal or faithful to: She held to her resolutions. hold up 1. To obstruct or delay. 2. To rob while armed, often at gunpoint. 3. To offer or present as an example: held the essay up as a model for the students. 4. To continue to function without losing force or effectiveness; cope: managed to hold up under the stress. hold with Idioms: To agree with; support: I don't hold with your theories. get hold of 1. To come into possession of; find: Where can I get hold of a copy? 2. To communicate with, as by telephone: tried to get hold of you but the line was busy. 3. To gain control of. Often used reflexively: You must get hold of yourself! hold a candle to To compare favorably with: This film doesn't hold a candle to his previous ones. hold (one's) end up To fulfill one's part of an agreement; do one's share. hold (one's) own To do reasonably well despite difficulty or criticism. hold out on (someone) To withhold something from: Don't hold out on me; start telling the truth. hold (someone's) feet to the fire To pressure (someone) to consent to or undertake something. hold sway To have a controlling influence; dominate. hold the bag Informal 1. To be left with empty hands. 2. To be forced to assume total responsibility when it ought to have been shared. hold the fort Informal 1. To assume responsibility, especially in another's absence. 2. To maintain a secure position. hold the line To maintain the existing position or state of affairs: had to hold the line on salary increases. hold the phone Slang To stop doing what one is engaged in doing. Often used in the imperative: Hold the phone! Let's end this argument. hold water To stand up to critical examination: Your explanation doesn't hold water. no holds barred Without limits or restraints. on hold 1. Into a state of temporary interruption without severing a telephone connection: put me on hold for 10 minutes. 2. Informal Into a state of delay or indeterminate suspension: had to put the romance on hold. [Middle English holden, from Old English healdan.] |
| hold 2 (hld) n. The lower interior part of a ship or airplane where cargo is stored. [Alteration (influenced by hold) of Middle English hole, husk, hull of a ship, from Old English hulu; see kel-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Verb | 1. | hold up - be the physical support of; carry the weight of; "The beam holds up the roof"; "He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam"; "What's holding that mirror?" scaffold - provide with a scaffold for support; "scaffold the building before painting it" block - support, secure, or raise with a block; "block a plate for printing"; "block the wheels of a car" carry - bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of; "His efforts carried the entire project"; "How many credits is this student carrying?"; "We carry a very large mortgage" chock - support on chocks; "chock the boat" pole - support on poles; "pole climbing plants like beans" bracket - support with brackets; "bracket bookshelves" underpin - support from beneath prop, prop up, shore up, shore - support by placing against something solid or rigid; "shore and buttress an old building" truss - support structurally; "truss the roofs"; "trussed bridges" brace - support by bracing |
| 2. | hold up - hold up something as an example; hold up one's achievements for admiration | |
| 3. | hold up - cause to be slowed down or delayed; "Traffic was delayed by the bad weather"; "she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform" decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up, retard - lose velocity; move more slowly; "The car decelerated" stonewall - engage in delaying tactics or refuse to cooperate; "The President stonewalled when he realized the plot was being uncovered by a journalist" catch - delay or hold up; prevent from proceeding on schedule or as planned; "I was caught in traffic and missed the meeting" stall - deliberately delay an event or action; "she doesn't want to write the report, so she is stalling" buy time - act so as to delay an event or action in order to gain an advantage | |
| 4. | hold up - rob at gunpoint or by means of some other threat crime, criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offense, offence - (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act; "a long record of crimes" mug - rob at gunpoint or with the threat of violence; "I was mugged in the streets of New York last night" rob - take something away by force or without the consent of the owner; "The burglars robbed him of all his money" | |
| 5. | hold up - continue to live through hardship or adversity; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?" live, be - have life, be alive; "Our great leader is no more"; "My grandfather lived until the end of war" subsist, exist, survive, live - support oneself; "he could barely exist on such a low wage"; "Can you live on $2000 a month in New York City?"; "Many people in the world have to subsist on $1 a day" hold water, stand up, hold up - resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc.; "Her shoes won't hold up"; "This theory won't hold water" perennate - survive from season to season, of plants live out - live out one's life; live to the end | |
| 6. | hold up - resist or confront with resistance; "The politician defied public opinion"; "The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear"; "The bridge held" | |
| 7. | hold up - resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc.; "Her shoes won't hold up"; "This theory won't hold water" live on, survive, last, live, endure, hold out, hold up, go - continue to live through hardship or adversity; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?" |
Translations
hold up → يٌعَطِل zvednout holde op hochhalten ληστεύω με απειλή όπλου mantener erguido pysäyttää freiner pridržavati durare 持ちこたえる 지연하다 standhouden rekke opp podtrzymać demorar выставлять hålla upp ทำให้ชักช้า gecikmek trì hoãn 举起
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