L
LLLOS.ai
Student
L
Word BookShort entry

Hold

noun/hˈoʊld/
Definition
the act of grasping
understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
Pronunciation
🇺🇸American English
/hˈoʊld/
🇬🇧British English
/hˈɛspəɹˌaɪdiːn/
🇮🇳Indian English
/hˈɛspəɹˌaɪdiːn/
1 syllable Say it as /hˈoʊld/.
Examples
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Parts of Speech
nounthe act of grasping
“he released his clasp on my arm”
noununderstanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
“he has a good grasp of accounting practices”
nounpower by which something or someone is affected or dominated
“he has a hold over them”
nountime during which some action is awaited
“instant replay caused too long a delay”
nouna state of being confined (usually for a short time)
“his detention was politically motivated”
nouna stronghold
nouna cell in a jail or prison
nounthe appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it
“he grabbed the hammer by the handle”
nounthe space in a ship or aircraft for storing cargo
verbkeep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,
“keep clean”
verbhave or hold in one's hands or grip
“Hold this bowl for a moment, please”
verborganize or be responsible for
“hold a reception”
verbhave or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense
“She has $1,000 in the bank”
verbkeep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
“take for granted”
verbmaintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
“bear a grudge”
verbto close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
“This holds the local until the express passengers change trains”
verbsecure and keep for possible future use or application
“The landlord retained the security deposit”
verbhave rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices
“She bears the title of Duchess”
verbbe the physical support of; carry the weight of
“The beam holds up the roof”
verbcontain or hold; have within
“The jar carries wine”
verbhave room for; hold without crowding
“This hotel can accommodate 250 guests”
verbremain in a certain state, position, or condition
“The weather held”
verbsupport or hold in a certain manner
“She holds her head high”
verbbe valid, applicable, or true
“This theory still holds”
verbassert or affirm
“Rousseau's philosophy holds that people are inherently good”
verbhave as a major characteristic
“The novel holds many surprises”
verbbe capable of holding or containing
“This box won't take all the items”
verbarrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance
“reserve me a seat on a flight”
verbprotect against a challenge or attack
“Hold that position behind the trees!”
verbbind by an obligation; cause to be indebted
“He's held by a contract”
verbhold the attention of
“The soprano held the audience”
verbremain committed to
“I hold to these ideas”
verbresist or confront with resistance
“The politician defied public opinion”
verbbe pertinent or relevant or applicable
“The same laws apply to you!”
verbstop dealing with
“hold all calls to the President's office while he is in a meeting”
verblessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits
“moderate your alcohol intake”
verbkeep from departing
“Hold the taxi”
verbtake and maintain control over, often by violent means
“The dissatisfied students held the President's office for almost a week”
verbcause to stop
“Halt the engines”
verbcover as for protection against noise or smell
“She held her ears when the jackhammer started to operate”
verbdrink alcohol without showing ill effects
“He can hold his liquor”
verbaim, point, or direct
“Hold the fire extinguisher directly on the flames”
verbdeclare to be
“She was declared incompetent”
verbbe in accord; be in agreement
“We agreed on the terms of the settlement”
verbkeep from exhaling or expelling
“hold your breath”
Word Forms
claspverbgrasp firmly
clenchverbhold in a tight grasp
clutchverbhold firmly, usually with one's hands
graspverbhold firmly
gripverbto grip or seize, as in a wrestling match
holdverbhave or hold in one's hands or grip
delayverbslow the growth or development of
waitverbwait before acting
detainverbdeprive of freedom; take into confinement
keepverbhold and prevent from leaving
handleverbtouch, lift, or hold with the hands
maintainableadjectivecapable of being maintained
maintainernounsomeone who upholds or maintains
holdnounthe act of grasping
havenouna person who possesses great material wealth
holdingnounsomething owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
restrainernouna person who directs and restrains
restraintnounthe state of being physically constrained
retentionnounthe act of retaining something
bearernounthe person who is in possession of a check or note or bond or document of title that is endorsed to him or to whoever holds it
holdernounthe person who is in possession of a check or note or bond or document of title that is endorsed to him or to whoever holds it
supportnounthe act of bearing the weight of or strengthening
supporternouna band (usually elastic) worn around the leg to hold up a stocking (or around the arm to hold up a sleeve)
supportingnounthe act of bearing the weight of or strengthening
carrynounthe act of carrying something
continentadjectivehaving control over urination and defecation
contentnounthe amount that can be contained
containernounany object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)
admittibleadjectivedeserving to be allowed to enter
carriagenouncharacteristic way of bearing one's body
bearingnouncharacteristic way of bearing one's body
reservationnounsomething reserved in advance (as a hotel accommodation or a seat on a plane etc.)
bookableadjectivesubject to being reserved or booked
bookingnounthe act of reserving (a place or passage) or engaging the services of (a person or group)
defensibleadjectivecapable of being defended
defensiveadjectiveintended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack
defendernouna person who cares for persons or property
defencenounan organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack
obligationnouna legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to comply
bindnounsomething that hinders as if with bonds
defiantadjectiveboldly resisting authority or an opposing force
withstandernounan opponent who resists with force or resolution
applicativeadjectivereadily applicable or practical
applicableadjectivecapable of being applied; having relevance
controlnoungreat skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity
checknounthe act of restraining power or action or limiting excess
curbnounthe act of restraining power or action or limiting excess
moderationnounquality of being moderate and avoiding extremes
haltnounthe event of something ending
arresternouna restraint that slows airplanes as they land on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier
declarativeadjectiverelating to the use of or having the nature of a declaration
agreeableadjectiveprepared to agree or consent
agreementnounthe verbal act of agreeing
concurrencenounagreement of results or opinions
concordnounagreement of opinions
concordancenounagreement of opinions
Around the World
Europe
🇩🇪German
halten
der Akt des Ergreifens
🇫🇷French
prise
l'acte de saisir
🇪🇸Spanish
sostener
el acto de agarrar
🇮🇹Italian
Presa
l'atto di afferrare
🇳🇱Dutch
uitstel
de handeling van het grijpen
🇵🇹Portuguese
segurar
o ato de agarrar
🇷🇺Russian
держать
акт захвата
India
🇮🇳Hindi
पकड़ना
पकड़ने की क्रिया
🇧🇩Bengali
রাখা
আঁকড়ে ধরার কাজ
🇮🇳Tamil
பிடி
பிடிக்கும் செயல்
🇮🇳Telugu
పట్టుకోండి
గ్రహించే చర్య
🇮🇳Marathi
धरा
पकडण्याची क्रिया
🇮🇳Gujarati
પકડી રાખો
પકડવાની ક્રિયા
🇮🇳Kannada
ಹಿಡಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳಿ
ಗ್ರಹಿಸುವ ಕ್ರಿಯೆ
🇮🇳Malayalam
പിടിക്കുക
ഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന പ്രവൃത്തി
🇮🇳Punjabi
ਹੋਲਡ
ਫੜਨ ਦਾ ਕੰਮ
🇵🇰Urdu
پکڑو
پکڑنے کا عمل
East & Southeast Asia
🇨🇳Chinese
抓住
抓握的行为
🇯🇵Japanese
所有
掴むという行為
🇰🇷Korean
잡고 있다
쥐는 행위
🇻🇳Vietnamese
giữ
hành động nắm bắt
🇹🇭Thai
ถือ
การกระทำของโลภ
🇮🇩Indonesian
memegang
tindakan menggenggam
🇵🇭Filipino
humawak
ang pagkilos ng paghawak
🇲🇾Malay
tahan
perbuatan menggenggam
Middle East
🇸🇦Arabic
يمسك
فعل الإمساك
🇮🇷Persian
نگه دارید
عمل گرفتن
🇹🇷Turkish
tutmak
kavrama eylemi
🇮🇱Hebrew
לְהַחזִיק
פעולת האחיזה
Test Yourself1 / 3
What is the primary definition of the word 'hold'?
The primary meaning of 'hold' is 'the act of grasping'.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'hold' in a grammatically correct way?
Using 'hold' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.
In which domain is the word 'hold' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?
'hold' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.
Community Poll1 / 6
How often do you encounter the word 'hold' in your daily reading?
Very Often
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you find 'hold' easy to spell?
Yes, very easy
Somewhat easy
A bit confusing
Extremely hard
In your opinion, does the word 'hold' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?
Positive
Neutral
Gloomy
Vibrant
Which age group is most likely to use 'hold' in regular conversations?
Kids (3-12)
Teens (13-19)
Adults (20-60)
Seniors (60+)
How likely are you to use 'hold' in a professional email?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never
Would you classify 'hold' as formal, casual, or slang?
Formal
Casual
Slang
Archaic
Pick an option to see how others voted
This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)? Open the Advanced entry →