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Hold   /hoʊld/   Listen
Hold

verb
(past & past part. held; pres. part. holding)
1.
Keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,.  Synonyms: keep, maintain.  "Hold in place" , "She always held herself as a lady" , "The students keep me on my toes"
2.
Have or hold in one's hands or grip.  Synonym: take hold.  "A crazy idea took hold of him"  Antonym: let go of.
3.
Organize or be responsible for.  Synonyms: give, have, make, throw.  "Have, throw, or make a party" , "Give a course"
4.
Have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense.  Synonyms: have, have got.  "He has got two beautiful daughters" , "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard"
5.
Keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view.  Synonyms: deem, take for, view as.  "View as important" , "Hold these truths to be self-evident" , "I hold him personally responsible"
6.
Maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings).  Synonyms: entertain, harbor, harbour, nurse.  "Entertain interesting notions" , "Harbor a resentment"
7.
To close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement.  Synonyms: confine, restrain.  "About a dozen animals were held inside the stockade" , "The illegal immigrants were held at a detention center" , "The terrorists held the journalists for ransom"
8.
Secure and keep for possible future use or application.  Synonyms: hold back, keep back, retain.  "I reserve the right to disagree"
9.
Have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices.  Synonym: bear.  "He held the governorship for almost a decade"
10.
Be the physical support of; carry the weight of.  Synonyms: hold up, support, sustain.  "He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam" , "What's holding that mirror?"
11.
Contain or hold; have within.  Synonyms: bear, carry, contain.  "The canteen holds fresh water" , "This can contains water"
12.
Have room for; hold without crowding.  Synonyms: accommodate, admit.  "The theater admits 300 people" , "The auditorium can't hold more than 500 people"
13.
Remain in a certain state, position, or condition.  "They held on the road and kept marching"
14.
Support or hold in a certain manner.  Synonyms: bear, carry.  "He carried himself upright"
15.
Be valid, applicable, or true.  Synonyms: obtain, prevail.
16.
Assert or affirm.
17.
Have as a major characteristic.  "The book holds in store much valuable advise"
18.
Be capable of holding or containing.  Synonyms: contain, take.  "The flask holds one gallon"
19.
Arrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance.  Synonyms: book, reserve.  "The agent booked tickets to the show for the whole family" , "Please hold a table at Maxim's"
20.
Protect against a challenge or attack.  Synonyms: defend, guard.  "Hold the bridge against the enemy's attacks"
21.
Bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted.  Synonyms: bind, obligate, oblige.  "I'll hold you by your promise"
22.
Hold the attention of.  "This story held our interest" , "She can hold an audience spellbound"
23.
Remain committed to.
24.
Resist or confront with resistance.  Synonyms: defy, hold up, withstand.  "The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear" , "The bridge held"
25.
Be pertinent or relevant or applicable.  Synonyms: apply, go for.  "This theory holds for all irrational numbers" , "The same rules go for everyone"
26.
Stop dealing with.
27.
Lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits.  Synonyms: check, contain, control, curb, hold in, moderate.  "Hold your tongue" , "Hold your temper" , "Control your anger"
28.
Keep from departing.  "Hold the horse"
29.
Take and maintain control over, often by violent means.
30.
Cause to stop.  Synonyms: arrest, halt.  "Arrest the progress" , "Halt the presses"
31.
Cover as for protection against noise or smell.  "Hold one's nose"
32.
Drink alcohol without showing ill effects.  Synonym: carry.  "He had drunk more than he could carry"
33.
Aim, point, or direct.
34.
Declare to be.  Synonyms: adjudge, declare.  "Judge held that the defendant was innocent"
35.
Be in accord; be in agreement.  Synonyms: agree, concord, concur.  "I can't agree with you!" , "I hold with those who say life is sacred" , "Both philosophers concord on this point"  Antonym: disagree.
36.
Keep from exhaling or expelling.
noun
1.
The act of grasping.  Synonyms: clasp, clench, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip.  "He has a strong grip for an old man" , "She kept a firm hold on the railing"
2.
Understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something.  Synonyms: appreciation, grasp.
3.
Power by which something or someone is affected or dominated.
4.
Time during which some action is awaited.  Synonyms: delay, postponement, time lag, wait.  "He ordered a hold in the action"
5.
A state of being confined (usually for a short time).  Synonyms: custody, detainment, detention.  "The prisoner is on hold" , "He is in the custody of police"
6.
A stronghold.
7.
A cell in a jail or prison.  Synonym: keep.
8.
The appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it.  Synonyms: grip, handgrip, handle.  "It was an old briefcase but it still had a good grip"
9.
The space in a ship or aircraft for storing cargo.  Synonyms: cargo area, cargo deck, cargo hold, storage area.



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WordNet 3.0 © 2010 Princeton University


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"Hold" Quotes from Famous Books



... 28th, the day of Damien's martyrdom, I went to fetch the ladies in good time; and as the carriage would scarcely hold us all, no objection was made to my taking my sweetheart on my knee, and in this order we reached the Place de Greve. The three ladies packing themselves together as tightly as possible took up their positions ...
— The Memoires of Casanova, Complete • Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
... Manual in a warm and cordial pressure, "that all my plans have succeeded. Your sleeping guard are closely watched in their barracks by one party; our officers are released and your sentinels cut off by another; while, with a third, I hold the centre of the abbey, and am, substantially, in possession of your own person. In consideration, therefore, of what is due to humanity, and to the presence of these ladies, let there be no struggle. I shall impose no difficult terms, ...
— The Pilot • J. Fenimore Cooper
... the congregation under the green trees, blue sky, brilliant sunshine, in that perfect landscape this Sunday morning. And of such is peopled a part of the vast country of Albania. A people who hold human life as nothing—a reckless and brave nation ...
— The Land of the Black Mountain - The Adventures of Two Englishmen in Montenegro • Reginald Wyon
... urged. "I see that you remember; and the arguments you admitted then hold even more strongly now. Besides—you said I had earned ...
— Captain Desmond, V.C. • Maud Diver
... by the different educational institutions with which you are connected or with which you are affiliated, will always be done, bearing in mind the fact that the most useful citizen to the Government may be a man who under no consideration would hold any position connected with the Government. I do not want to see any missionary college carry on its educational scheme primarily with a view of turning out Government officials. On the contrary, I want to see the average ...
— African and European Addresses • Theodore Roosevelt


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