Definition of hold in English English dictionary
- To detain
Hold the suspect in this cell.
- To maintain, to consider
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
- To win one's own service game
- To have and keep possession of something
The general ordered the colonel to hold his position at all costs.
- To reserve
Hold a table for us at 7:00.
- Something reserved or kept
We have a hold here for you.
- An instance of holding one's service game, as opposed to being broken
- This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}
So I felt my way down the passage back to the vault, and recked not of the darkness, nor of Blackbeard and his crew, if only I could lay my lips to liquor. Thus I groped about the barrels till near the top of the stack my hand struck on the spile of a keg, and drawing it, I got my mouth to the hold.
- To be or remain valid; to apply; to hold true; to hold good
- The cargo area of a ship, (often cargo hold)
Put that in the hold.
- The percentage the house wins on a gamble
- A position or grip used to control the opponent
He got him in a tight hold and pinned him to the mat.
- To cause to wait or delay
Hold the elevator.
- To grasp or grip
Hold the pencil like this.
- To contain or store
This package holds six bottles.
- A grasp or grip
Keep a firm hold on the handlebars.
- Status applied to an item being held at the Circulation Desk A valid borrower may request that a circulating book or other material be held upon its return to the Library The patron will be notified when the material becomes available
- A term given to the act of holding a balance intact until an item or items have been collected By placing a hold on an account, the Bank will not permit the withdrawal of the uncollected portion of a deposit until it is certain that the items have been collected Back to Top
- When item needed by a library user is out to someone else, one can place a hold on the item through the library online system A hold will ensure that the library user will be next in line when the item is returned and becomes available In Webcat the term Request is used for placing a hold
- A borrower may request that a circulating book be held upon its return The patron will be notified when it becomes available
- A hold on a book guarantees that a book checked out to another person will be saved for you when the book is returned You may request a hold on a book at the Circulation Desk
- (Senate only) An informal practice by which a Senator informs his or her floor leader that he or she does not wish a particular bill or other measure to reach the floor for consideration The Majority Leader need not follow the Senator's wishes, but is on notice that the opposing Senator may filibuster any motion to proceed to consider the measure
- {e} stop! stay! cease! leave off! forbear
- {v} to support grasp, keep, retain, detain, stick, continue
- {n} a support, catch, power, custody, place, the interior of a ship
- {f} have in one's hand; include, contain; keep, save; restrain; maintain, support, believe; direct, arrange; possess
- {i} grasp, grip; handle, something to grip; influence, effect; order to delay or postpone something; stronghold, secure fortified place; storage space in the hull of a ship
- An opponent call "Hold!" when a player makes a play that the opponent ponders challenging Calling "Hold!" signals to the player not to draw new tiles until either the challenge is officially resolved or the "hold!" is rescinded
- Binding power and influence
- be valid, applicable, or true; "This theory still holds"
- To have; to possess; to be in possession of; to occupy; to derive title to; as, to hold office
- a cell in a jail or prison power by which something or someone is affected or dominated; "he has a hold over them"
- Something that may be grasped; means of support
- cause to stop; "Halt the engines"; "Arrest the progress"; "halt the presses"
- In general, to keep one's self in a given position or condition; to remain fixed
- maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings); "bear a grudge"; "entertain interesting notions"; "harbor a resentment"
- to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement; "This holds the local until the express passengers change trains"; "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"
- keep from departing; "Hold the taxi"; "Hold the horse"
- be pertinent or relevant or applicable; "The same laws apply to you!"; "This theory holds for all irrational numbers"; "The same rules go for everyone"
- have room for; hold without crowding; "This hotel can accommodate 250 guests"; "The theater admits 300 people"; "The auditorium can't hold more than 500 people"
- The authority or ground to take or keep; claim
- have as a major characteristic; "The novel holds many surprises"; "The book holds in store much valuable advise
- have or hold in one's hands or grip; "Hold this bowl for a moment, please"; "A crazy idea took hold of him"
- arrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance; "reserve me a seat on a flight"; "The agent booked tickets to the show for the whole family"; "please hold a table at Maxim's"
- assert or affirm; "Rousseau's philosophy holds that people are inherently good"
- A hold guarantees that when a book is returned to the Circulation Desk it will be held for you
- have as a major characteristic; "The novel holds many surprises"; "The book holds in store much valuable advise"
- The lower interior part of a ship or airplane where cargo is stored
- keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e g , "keep clean"; "hold in place"; "She always held herself as a lady"; "The students keep me on my toes"
- A character [thus &?;] placed over or under a note or rest, and indicating that it is to be prolonged; called also pause, and corona
- bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted; "He's held by a contract"; "I'll hold you by your promise"
- keep from exhaling or expelling; "hold your breath"
- secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"
- To maintain ownership of a security over a long period of time "Hold" is also a recommendation of an analyst who is not positive enough on a stock to recommend a buy, but not negative enough on the stock to recommend a sell
- aim, point, or direct; "Hold the fire extinguisher directly on the flames"
- Indicates that the request has been filled and the material is on the hold shelf at the location where it is to be picked up A notice has been sent to the patron, or is scheduled to be sent shortly
- Not to fall away, desert, or prove recreant; to remain attached; to cleave; often with with, to, or for
- time during which some action is awaited; "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"
- A place of confinement; a prison; confinement; custody; guard
- Process to request a book which is currently charged out The current borrower will not be able to renew the book, and the person placing the hold will be notified to pick it up at Circulation Ask for information at Circulation
- have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices; "She bears the title of Duchess"; "He held the governorship for almost a decade"
- 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?"
- To accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain
- protect against a challenge or attack; "Hold that position behind the trees!"; "Hold the bridge against the enemy's attacks"
- To receive and retain; to contain as a vessel; as, this pail holds milk; hence, to be able to receive and retain; to have capacity or containing power for
- the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it; "he grabbed the hammer by the handle"; "it was an old briefcase but it still had a good grip"
- To derive right or title; generally with of
- drink alcohol without showing ill effects; "He can hold his liquor"; "he had drunk more than he could carry"
- A library user may place a hold on a book charged out to another person; this ensures that the person placing the hold will be next in line to receive the book when the book is returned
- To impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain
- Hold 'em
- Texas hold 'em
- hold a candle
- To compare; to be even remotely of the same quality, skill, etc. as another
The old computer just doesn't hold a candle to the latest models.
- hold a grudge
- To stay angry (at someone or something) far longer than is reasonable
I made a mistake. That's not a good reason to hold a grudge against me.
- hold a torch for
- Alternative form of carry a torch for
- hold all the aces
- To be in a strong position when one is competing with someone else, having all the advantages
- hold back
- to delay, especially in school
He's a year older than his classmates because he was held back in second grade.
- hold back
- to act with reserve; to contain one's full measure or power
Don't hold back. Hit it as hard as you can.
- hold back
- to contain; stop
The dam can't hold back that much water.
- hold down
- To restrain; to check
You hold him down while I search him.
- hold down
- To continue, to hold and to manage well
I held down that job for years.
- hold forth
- Talk at great length; expatiate; harangue
- hold forth
- To extend or offer, propose
- hold hands
- Of two or more people, to clasp another's hand with one's own hand
- hold hard
- to remain still
Hold hard, here come the sheep.
- hold hostage
- To have possession or custody of a person as security for performance against a treaty, a pledge, or a demand, especially now an extra-legal demand
- hold hostage
- Any situation or leverage used to entrap or corner someone without physical restraint
- hold it
- Wait to excrete when you need to
- hold it
- Wait a minute; stop
Hold it. What did you say his name was?.
- hold off
- To delay commencing (an action until some specified time or event has passed)
Hold off baking until I get there.
- hold off
- To delay commencing an action (until some specified time or event has passed)
Hold off on baking until I get there.
- hold off
- To delay someone or something temporarily; to keep at bay
Let's try to hold off the lawyers until we are ready for them.
- hold on
- To keep; to store something for someone
Hold on to my umbrella while I ride the roller coaster.
- hold on
- To hold, grasp, or grip
Hold on tight to the railing.
- hold on
- To stay loyal
He didn't give up his fandom when others were; he held on.
- hold on
- Wait a short while
Hold on while I get my coat.
- hold on
- To persist
- hold one's breath
- To wait, as if breathlessly
- hold one's head above water
- Alternative form of keep one's head above water
- hold one's horses
- To be patient; to wait
I would ask everybody to hold their horses until we go through the process, ElBaradei said.
- hold one's liquor
- To be resistant to intoxication or to show few signs of intoxication, even after consuming a significant amount of alcohol
When I first came to London and fell in with Sebastian and Evangeline, neither could hold their liquor, nor judge which glass should be their last.
- hold one's own
- To demonstrate oneself to be capable; to provide a respectable performance or worthy competition; to stick up for oneself
But Ford, and Chrysler continued to hold their own against the latest competition from the Japanese.
- hold one's serve
- to win a game when one is serving
- hold one's tongue
- to keep quiet; especially, to leave something unsaid
I don't like his ideas, but I will hold my tongue.
- hold one's urine
- Not to urinate (for some period of time)
Because urinating tends to wash out the urethra, and because the urethra can be a rich source of diagnostic material, the sample will be more useful if the patient has held his urine for at least three hours.
- hold one's water
- To hold one's urine
- hold one's water
- To be patient; to control one's impulses
- hold out
- To withhold something
You've got a key! Why have you been holding out on me?.
- hold out
- To wait, or refuse in hopes of getting something better (from a negotiation, etc.)
How long has he been holding out?.
- hold out
- To set something aside or save it for later
Pack the boxes, but hold out a few blue ones for later.
- hold out
- To hold (something) out; to extend (something) forward
I held out my hand, and the horrible, soft-spoken, eyeless creature gripped it in a moment like a vise. I was so much startled that I struggled to withdraw; but the blind man pulled me close up to him with a single action of his arm.
- hold out
- To survive, endure
How long can they hold out without water?.
- hold out
- Alternative spelling of holdout
- hold over
- to save, delay
We will have to hold over these files until tomorrow.
- hold over
- something left from an earlier time
The QWERTY keyboard layout is a holdover from the days when manual typewriters jammed.
- hold over someone's head
- To harp on; to remind continuously (especially of a misstep or defeat)
I get one parking ticket and he holds it over my head for six months.
- hold somebody's hand
- To guide somebody through the basics or assist with excessively small details
I'll give you advice on writing an article, but I won't hold your hand through the entire process.
- hold somebody's hand
- To grasp or hold a person's hand
- hold someone's feet to the fire
- To maintain personal, social, political, or legal pressure on someone in order to induce him or her to comply with one's desires; to hold someone accountable for his or her actions
He kept tabs on presidents, monitored members of Congress, held bureaucrats' feet to the fire.
- hold sway
- Be pre-eminent; have the greatest influence (over someone or something); dominate
- hold that thought
- Used to acknowledge that one's attention needs to be diverted from what an speaker was saying
.... and then .... / John, hold that thought. I need to take this call..
- hold that thought
- To pause in a conversation for an interruption
- hold the fort
- To assume responsibility, especially in another’s absence
- hold the fort
- To maintain a secure position
- hold the phone
- stop; wait; woah. What's this? Look at this!
Hold the phone! We've had this problem before, with the other machine.
- hold the phone
- To hold; to wait for someone at the other end of a telephone connection
They asked me to hold the phone while they went to look up the answer.
- hold the purse strings
- To be in control of spending; to have financial power and responsibility
- hold the reins
- To be in charge, to be in control, as of a business, political organization, or other group
While conservatives hold the reins at the SBC, moderates have retained control of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
- hold tight
- To hold something or someone closely
Hold me tight and kiss me.
- hold tight
- To hold on to something for security
Hold tight to me, the bus is going round a sharp bend.
- hold tight
- To hold something securely
Hold tight to that vase, and don't drop it.
- hold true
- to be true, valid or applicable
- hold true
- to remain true, valid or applicable; to apply
However the case may be with societies under widely different conditions of development, the law of mass and individuality holds true of the social facts known to us.
- hold up
- to fulfil / fulfill or complete one's part of an agreement
I don't think he's holding up his end of the bargain.
- hold up
- to rob at gunpoint
The guy tried to hold up a bank.
- hold up
- To withstand; to stand up to; to survive
hold up to heavy use.
- hold up
- To wait or delay
Hold up a minute. I want to check something.
- hold up
- To support or lift
Hold up the table while I slide this underneath.
- hold up one's end
- To hold up one's end of the bargain; to fulfill one's promise or obligation
I'm holding up my end and you had better hold up yours.
- hold water
- To withstand scrutiny or criticism; to be valid
Young man, he said, upon this point I can only say that your story is grossly improbable. It won't hold water..
- hold with the hare and run with the hounds
- To oppose an action or behavior and yet engage in the same action or behavior; to be a hypocrite
Well, if you ask me, Pastor Hawkins is trying to hold with the hare and run with the hounds by opposing casino gambling when his church operates a bingo game every Thursday night.
- hold with the hare and run with the hounds
- To remain neutral by attempting to placate two factions or both sides of a controversy
Julianna needs to be careful if she keeps holding with the hare and running with the hounds; she might wind up making enemies of both labor and management.
- hold your fire
- Do not discharge your weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder, now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile
- hold your fire
- Wait, don't retaliate, calm down, be quiet
Hold your fire and let me explain.
- hold'em
- Texas hold 'em
- hold-up
- Women's stockings designed to be worn without suspenders
- hold-up
- A delay or wait
What is the holdup?.
- hold-up
- a robbery at gunpoint
This is a hold-up! Give us all your money.
- hold-up play
- A play where an attacker retains possession of the ball, while the teammates can move up the field
- hold-ups
- Women's stockings designed to be worn without suspenders
Yet the conventions of cheating possess an odd kind of romance, of the love affair perpetually stalled in its first stages, when no one on the platform at Paddington knows you're only wearing hold-ups under your mac and you can briefly return to the drama of being the woman you thought had died of boredom somewhere on the thousand-and-eleventh trip to Waitrose.
- hold-ups
- plural form of hold-up
- hold dear
- value, cherish, esteem, appreciate, treasure
- hold in
- If you hold in an emotion or feeling, you do not allow yourself to express it, often making it more difficult to deal with. Depression can be traced to holding in anger Go ahead and cry. Don't hold it in
- hold a mock election
- Conduct an imitated election for educational purpose
- hold the phone
- (deyim) Stop what one is doing, as in Hold the phone! There's no sense in continuing this argument. This expression is often put as an imperative, as in the example
- Hold responsible
- hold to account
- A hold
- pause
- Holding
- ahold
- held
- occupied or in the control of; often used in combination; "enemy-held territory"
- held
- of Hold
- held
- occupied or in the control of; often used in combination; "enemy-held territory
- held
- Held is the name given to the actual judgement in a particular case
- held
- a: A requested item waiting collection See also Item Held b: An item is in the Library
- held
- Carried, grasped, or worn by a creature Also physically restrained (for example, a held door) Also, when italicized, immobile as the result of a spell or magical effect (such as hold person) Held characters are helpless, since they cannot move or perform any physical actions Such characters continue to breathe normally, however, and can take purely mental actions
- held
- Held is the past tense and past participle of hold. Past tense and past participle of hold. the past tense and past participle of hold
- held
- A situation where a security is temporarily not available for trading (e g Market Makers in OTC stocks or the Exchange in listed stocks are not allowed to display quotes)
- held
- A situation where a security is temporarily not available for trading (e g Market Makers are not allowed to display quotes)
- held
- past of hold
- held
- The status of a Settlement Request that is retained in the Central Scheduler be-cause it was entered as such or has been explicitly marked by the Sending Settlement Bank as not to be sent for settlement without further action by the Settlement Bank See Status for more details of statuses
- hold back
- hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of; "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth of communism in Sout East Asia"; "Contain the rebel movement"; "Turn back the tide of communism"
- hold back
- If you hold back or if something holds you back, you hesitate before you do something because you are not sure whether it is the right thing to do. The administration had several reasons for holding back Melancholy and mistrust of men hold her back
- hold back
- wait before acting
- hold back
- If you hold something back, you do not include it in the information you are giving about something. You seem to be holding something back
- hold back
- If you hold back something such as tears or laughter, or if you hold back, you make an effort to stop yourself from showing how you feel. She kept trying to hold back her tears I was close to tears with frustration, but I held back
- hold back
- hold back; keep from being perceived by others; "She conceals her anger well"
- hold back
- An amount of money retained by a construction lender or owner until satisfactory completion of the work performed by a contractor
- hold back
- Portion of a construction loan withheld by a lender from a contractor until all construction work is satisfactorily completed or sufficient space is leased in a floor loan
- hold back
- keep under control; keep in check; "suppress a smile"; "Keep your temper"; "keep your cool"
- hold back
- secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"
- hold back
- To hold someone or something back means to prevent someone from doing something, or to prevent something from happening. Stagnation in home sales is holding back economic recovery Jake wanted to wake up, but sleep held him back
- hold back
- withhold, fail to provide; hesitate, avoid participation; restrain; retain ownership
- hold back
- If you hold something back, you keep it in reserve to use later. Farmers apparently hold back produce in the hope that prices will rise
- hold back
- encumber
- hold back
- cumber
- hold back
- constrain
- hold back
- restrain
- hold by
- support, agree with
- hold down
- restrict to preset limitations; be responsible for
- hold down
- keep; "She manages to hold down two jobs
- hold down
- If you hold someone down, you keep them under control and do not allow them to have much freedom or power or many rights. Everyone thinks there is some vast conspiracy wanting to hold down the younger generation
- hold down
- If you hold down a job or a place in a team, you manage to keep it. He never could hold down a job Constant injury problems had made it tough for him to hold down a regular first team place
- hold down
- keep; "She manages to hold down two jobs"
- hold down
- restrain; "please hold down the noise so that the neighbors can sleep"
- hold in
- close in or confine
- hold in
- hold back; keep from being perceived by others; "She conceals her anger well"
- hold in
- lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger"
- hold off
- If you hold off doing something, you delay doing it or delay making a decision about it. The hospital staff held off taking Rosenbaum in for an X-ray They have threatened military action but held off until now
- hold off
- withstand, fight off; delay, postpone; keep at a distance; refrain from action
- hold off
- fight to a stand-off; "Dallas had enough of a lead to hold the Broncos back"
- hold off
- If you hold off a challenge in a race or competition, you do not allow someone to pass you. Between 1987 and 1990, Steffi Graf largely held off Navratilova's challenge for the crown
- hold off
- wait before acting
- hold off
- fight to a stand-off; "Dallas had enough of a lead to hold the Broncos back
- hold office
- occupy a position of authority (in a government, administration, etc.)
- hold on
- be persistent, refuse to stop; "he persisted to call me every night"; "The child persisted and kept asking questions"
- hold on
- If you hold on, or hold onto something, you keep your hand on it or around it, for example to prevent the thing from falling or to support yourself. His right arm was extended up beside his head, still holding on to a coffee cup He was struggling to hold onto a rock on the face of the cliff Despite her aching shoulders, Nancy held on
- hold on
- hold out, hang on, endure, stand firm; wait a minute, just a minute
- hold on
- If you hold on, you manage to achieve success or avoid failure in spite of great difficulties or opposition. This Government deserved to lose power a year ago. It held on
- hold on
- If you ask someone to hold on, you are asking them to wait for a short time. The manager asked him to hold on while he investigated. = hang on
- hold on
- hold firmly
- hold on
- stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments; "Hold on a moment!"
- hold on
- stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments; "Hold on a moment!
- hold on
- retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married"
- hold on
- hold the phone line open; "Please hang on while I get your folder"
- hold on to
- If you hold on to something that gives you an advantage, you succeed in keeping it for yourself, and prevent it from being taken away or given to someone else. Firms are now keen to hold on to the people they recruit. a politician who knew how to hold onto power
- hold on to
- If you hold on to something, you keep it for a longer time than would normally be expected. Do you think you could hold on to that report for the next day or two? People hold onto letters for years and years. = keep
- hold on to
- If you hold on to your beliefs, ideas, or principles, you continue to believe in them and do not change or abandon them if others try to influence you or if circumstances cause you to doubt them. He was imprisoned for 19 years yet held on to his belief in his people
- hold out
- thrust or extend out; "He held out his hand"; "point a finger"; "extend a hand"; "the bee exserted its sting"
- hold out
- wait uncompromisingly for something desirable; "He held out for the dessert and did not touch the cheeses
- hold out
- If you hold out, you manage to resist an enemy or opponent in difficult circumstances and refuse to give in. One prisoner was still holding out on the roof of the jail
- hold out
- wait uncompromisingly for something desirable; "He held out for the dessert and did not touch the cheeses"
- hold out
- stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something
