Held Hold Holding I Hand Person Somebody/Something Position

• she was holding a large box.
• they were holding hands (= the right hand of one person holding the left hand of the other).
• i held the mouse by its tail.
• the girl held her father's hand tightly.

hold

Verb Forms

1. to have somebody/something in your hand, arms, etc.
• She was holding a large box.
• They were holding hands (= the right hand of one person holding the left hand of the other).
• I held the mouse by its tail.
• The girl held her father's hand tightly.
• He was holding the baby in his arms.
• The winning captain held the trophy in the air.
• The lovers held each other close.

Extra Examples

• A man holding a map beckoned to me.
• The person holding most cards when the time limit is reached is the winner.
• People were holding banners and placards as they stood outside the building.
• Each woman held a bottle in her hand.
• The family made a circle, held hands, and bowed their heads.
• It had started to rain, so several people held umbrellas over me.
• They walked along the street, holding hands.
• I held the baby gently in my arms.
• He held her by the shoulders.
2. to put your hand on part of your body, usually because it hurts
• She groaned and held her head.
• The prisoner held his head in his hands.
• She started to dance, holding her hands rapturously to her chest.
3. to keep somebody/something in a particular position
• Hold your head up.
• Hold this position for a count of 10.
• The wood is held in position by a clamp.
• People held handkerchiefs over their mouths.
• I had to hold my stomach in (= pull the muscles flat) to zip up my jeans.
• I'll hold the door open for you.
4. to support the weight of somebody/something
• I don't think that branch will hold your weight.
• She let him hold most of her weight as he led her upstairs.
• Several pieces of wood joined together can hold more weight than just one piece.
5. to have enough space for something/somebody; to contain something/somebody
• This barrel holds 25 litres.
• The plane holds about 300 passengers.
• The inner box holds the cheese and has holes in it.
• Each 180-litre container will hold up to three black bags of rubbish.
6. to have or offer something; to be going to bring something
• I don't know what the future holds.
• This research holds the key to understanding life.
7. to have a meeting, competition, conversation, etc.
• Each month she holds a meeting with her entire staff.
• The British Foreign Minister held talks with the leaders of the two countries.
• He has already held discussions with Irish shareholders.
• It's impossible to hold a conversation with all this noise.
• The next conference will be held in Ohio.
• The country is holding its first free elections for 20 years.
• to hold an event/a party/a competition

Extra Examples

• The premiere was held in the Four Seasons Hotel.
• The Lisburn Social Club is holding a special Mother's Day lunch next Sunday.
• Special events are held annually as part of a fund-raising strategy.
• The Prime Minister announced his intention to hold a referendum.
• She held a garden party to celebrate the artist's 60th birthday.
• The meeting will be held in the community centre.
8. to have something you have gained or achieved
• Who holds the world record for the long jump?
• She held the title of world champion for three years.
9. to have a particular job or position
• How long has he held office?
• Mrs Thatcher held the post of prime minister longer than anyone else last century.
• Men still hold most positions of power in this country.
• The company has held the advertising contract since 2005.
• The professor will hold a seat on the advisory board.
• Labour's John Taylor and Mary Smith both held seats in this constituency.
10. to keep somebody and not allow them to leave
• Police are holding two men in connection with last Thursday's bank raid.
• He was held prisoner for two years.
• Eight people were held hostage for four months.
• She was held captive in a castle.
• She was arrested and held in custody in a police station.
11. to keep somebody’s attention or interest
• There wasn't much in the museum to hold my attention.
• These discussions held little interest for Lucy.
12. to keep something at the same level, rate, speed, etc.; to stay at the same level, rate, etc.
• Hold your speed at 70.
• Interest rates have been held at 8% for a year now.
• They are trying to hold public spending to £300 billion.
• The company's shares held at £3.47.
• In trading today the dollar held steady against the yen.
13. to keep something so that it can be used later
• Employees do not have access to personal records held on computer.
• Our solicitor holds our wills.
• We can hold your reservation for three days.
14. to wait until you can speak to the person you have phoned
• That extension is busy right now. Can you hold?
• She asked me to hold the line.
15. to own or have something
• Employees hold 30% of the shares.
• He was born in South Africa but he holds a British passport.
• Applicants must hold a full driving licence.
16. to defend something against attack; to have control of something
• The rebels held the radio station.
17. to remain strong and safe or in position
• They were afraid the dam wouldn't hold.
18. to remain the same
• How long will the fine weather hold?
• If their luck holds, they could still win the championship.
19. to have a belief or an opinion about somebody/something
• He holds strange views on education.
• She is held in high regard by her students (= they have a high opinion of her).
• to be held in high esteem
• He has very firmly held religious beliefs.

Extra Examples

• deeply held religious beliefs
• privately held views
• This view is not widely held.
20. to consider that something is true
• I still hold that the government's economic policies are mistaken.
• Parents will be held responsible for their children's behaviour.
• These vases are held to be the finest examples of Greek art.
21. to be in close contact with the road and easy to control, especially when driven fast
22. to continue to move in a particular direction
23. to make a note continue for a particular time
24. be able to drink a reasonable amount of alcohol without becoming drunk
• I can hold my drink as well as anyone.
25. to win a game in which you are serving
• Zverev held serve to take the set.
• Halep held to love.
26. used to tell somebody to stop doing something or not to do something
• Hold your fire! (= don't shoot)
• Hold the front page! (= don't print it until a particular piece of news is available)
• Give me a hot dog, but hold the (= don't give me any) mustard.
27. to be true
• The same argument does not hold good in every case.
28. used to ask somebody to wait, or not to move
• Hold it a second—I don't think everyone's arrived yet.
29. to hold somebody/something very tightly because you are afraid
30. a person cannot be prevented from doing something
• Once she gets on to the subject of politics there's no holding her.

Word Origin

• verb Old English haldan, healdan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch houden and German halten; the noun is partly from Old Norse hald ‘hold, support, custody’.