Definitions of hold [ʊld]

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Definition of 'hold'

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

1. (v.t.) hold
to have or keep in the hand; grasp:
to hold someone's hand.

2.  hold
to set aside; reserve or retain:
to hold a reservation.

3.  hold
to bear, sustain, or support with or as if with the hands or arms.

4.  hold
to keep in a specified state:
The preacher held them spellbound.

5.  hold
to detain:
The police held her for questioning.

6.  hold
to conduct; carry on:
to hold a meeting.

7.  hold
to hinder; restrain:
Fear held me from acting.

8.  hold
to have the ownership or use of; possess or occupy:
to hold a position of authority.

9.  hold
to contain or be capable of containing:
This bottle holds a quart.

10.  hold
to make accountable:
We will hold you to your word.

11.  hold
to keep in the mind; believe:
held certain beliefs.

12.  hold
to regard; consider:
to hold a person responsible.

13.  hold
to keep forcibly:
Enemy forces held the hill.

14.  hold
to point; aim:
He held a gun on the prisoner.

15.  hold
to decide legally.

16.  hold
to sustain (a musical note, chord, or rest).

17.  hold
to omit, as from an order:
One burger — hold the pickle.

18. (v.i.) hold
to remain in a specified state:
Hold still.

19.  hold
to maintain a grasp; remain fast:
The clamp held.

20.  hold
to maintain one's position against opposition.

21.  hold
to agree; sympathize:
She doesn't hold with new ideas.

22.  hold
to remain faithful:
to hold to one's purpose.

23.  hold
to remain valid:
The rule still holds.

24.  hold
to refrain; forbear (usu. used imperatively).

25.  hold
to restrain; check:
to hold back tears.

26.  hold
to hinder the advancement of.

27.  hold
to refrain from giving or revealing; withhold:
to hold back information.

28.  hold
to refrain from participating.

29.  hold
hold down,

30.  hold
to keep under control or at a low level:
to hold down interest rates.

31.  hold
to continue to function in:
to hold down a job.

32.  hold
hold forth,

33.  hold
to speak at great length.

34.  hold
hold oneself in,

35.  hold
to exercise restraint.

36.  hold
hold off,

37.  hold
to keep at a distance; repel.

38.  hold
to postpone action; defer.

39.  hold
hold on,

40.  hold
to keep a firm grip on something.

41.  hold
to keep going; continue.

42.  hold
to stop; halt (usu. used imperatively).

43.  hold
to keep a telephone connection open.

44.  hold
hold out,

45.  hold
to present; offer.

46.  hold
to continue to last.

47.  hold
to refuse to yield.

48.  hold
to withhold something expected or due.

49.  hold
hold over,

50.  hold
to keep for future consideration or action.

51.  hold
to keep beyond the arranged period:
to hold a movie over for an extra week.

52.  hold
hold up,

53.  hold
to support; uphold.

54.  hold
to delay; bring to a stop.

55.  hold
to endure; persevere:
I'm tired but holding up.

56.  hold
to present for attention; display.

57.  hold
to rob at gunpoint.

58. (n.) hold
an act of holding fast with the hand or other physical means; grasp; grip:
a good hold on the rope.

59.  hold
something to hold a thing by; something to grasp, esp. for support.

60.  hold
something that holds fast or supports something else.

61.  hold
an order reserving something:
to put a hold on a library book.

62.  hold
a controlling force or dominating influence:
to have a hold on a person.

63.  hold
a wrestler's maneuver for seizing and controlling an opponent.

64.  hold
a pause or delay.

65.  hold
a prison cell.

66.  hold
a feature on a telephone that allows voice communication to be interrupted without breaking the connection.

67.  hold
to grasp; seize.

68.  hold
to communicate with by telephone.

69.  hold
into a state of interruption or suspension.

70.  hold
into a state of being kept waiting incommunicado by a telephone hold.

71. (n.) hold
the cargo space in the hull of a vessel, esp. between the lowermost deck and the bottom.

72.  hold
the cargo compartment of an aircraft.

Etymology: (1585–95; var. of hole ; cf. D hol hole, hold)

Definition of 'hold'

Princeton's WordNet

1. (noun) clasp, clench, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip, hold
the act of grasping
"he released his clasp on my arm"; "he has a strong grip for an old man"; "she kept a firm hold on the railing"

2. (noun) appreciation, grasp, hold
understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
"he has a good grasp of accounting practices"

3. (noun) hold
power by which something or someone is affected or dominated
"he has a hold over them"

4. (noun) delay, hold, time lag, postponement, wait
time during which some action is awaited
"instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action"

5. (noun) detention, detainment, hold, custody
a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
"his detention was politically motivated"; "the prisoner is on hold"; "he is in the custody of police"

6. (noun) hold
a stronghold

7. (noun) hold, keep
a cell in a jail or prison

8. (noun) handle, grip, handgrip, hold
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"

9. (verb) cargo area, cargo deck, cargo hold, hold, storage area
the space in a ship or aircraft for storing cargo

10. (verb) keep, maintain, hold
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"

11. (verb) hold, take hold
have or hold in one's hands or grip
"Hold this bowl for a moment, please"; "A crazy idea took hold of him"

12. (verb) hold, throw, have, make, give
organize or be responsible for
"hold a reception"; "have, throw, or make a party"; "give a course"

13. (verb) have, have got, hold
have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense
"She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard"

14. (verb) deem, hold, view as, take for
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
"take for granted"; "view as important"; "hold these truths to be self-evident"; "I hold him personally responsible"

15. (verb) harbor, harbour, hold, entertain, nurse
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
"bear a grudge"; "entertain interesting notions"; "harbor a resentment"

16. (verb) restrain, confine, hold
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"

17. (verb) retain, hold, keep back, hold back
secure and keep for possible future use or application
"The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"

18. (verb) bear, hold
have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices
"She bears the title of Duchess"; "He held the governorship for almost a decade"

19. (verb) hold, support, sustain, 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?"

20. (verb) hold, bear, carry, contain
contain or hold; have within
"The jar carries wine"; "The canteen holds fresh water"; "This can contains water"

21. (verb) accommodate, hold, admit
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"

22. (verb) hold
remain in a certain state, position, or condition
"The weather held"; "They held on the road and kept marching"

23. (verb) hold, carry, bear
support or hold in a certain manner
"She holds her head high"; "He carried himself upright"

24. (verb) prevail, hold, obtain
be valid, applicable, or true
"This theory still holds"

25. (verb) hold
assert or affirm
"Rousseau's philosophy holds that people are inherently good"

26. (verb) hold
have as a major characteristic
"The novel holds many surprises"; "The book holds in store much valuable advise"

27. (verb) contain, take, hold
be capable of holding or containing
"This box won't take all the items"; "The flask holds one gallon"

28. (verb) reserve, hold, book
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"

29. (verb) defend, guard, hold
protect against a challenge or attack
"Hold that position behind the trees!"; "Hold the bridge against the enemy's attacks"

30. (verb) oblige, bind, hold, obligate
bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted
"He's held by a contract"; "I'll hold you by your promise"

31. (verb) hold
hold the attention of
"The soprano held the audience"; "This story held our interest"; "She can hold an audience spellbound"

32. (verb) hold
remain committed to
"I hold to these ideas"

33. (verb) defy, withstand, hold, 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"

34. (verb) apply, hold, go for
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"

35. (verb) hold
stop dealing with
"hold all calls to the President's office while he is in a meeting"

36. (verb) control, hold in, hold, contain, check, curb, moderate
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"

37. (verb) hold
keep from departing
"Hold the taxi"; "Hold the horse"

38. (verb) hold
take and maintain control over, often by violent means
"The dissatisfied students held the President's office for almost a week"

39. (verb) halt, hold, arrest
cause to stop
"Halt the engines"; "Arrest the progress"; "halt the presses"

40. (verb) hold
cover as for protection against noise or smell
"She held her ears when the jackhammer started to operate"; "hold one's nose"

41. (verb) carry, hold
drink alcohol without showing ill effects
"He can hold his liquor"; "he had drunk more than he could carry"

42. (verb) hold
aim, point, or direct
"Hold the fire extinguisher directly on the flames"

43. (verb) declare, adjudge, hold
declare to be
"She was declared incompetent"; "judge held that the defendant was innocent"

44. (verb) agree, hold, concur, concord
be in accord; be in agreement
"We agreed on the terms of the settlement"; "I can't agree with you!"; "I hold with those who say life is sacred"; "Both philosophers concord on this point"

45. (verb) hold
keep from exhaling or expelling
"hold your breath"

Definition of 'hold'

Kernerman English Learner’s Dictionary

1. (verb) hold
to grip carry sth in your hands or arms
You're holding the book upside down.; She held the baby in her arms.

2.  hold
to keep in a position
Hold your picture up.; The stitches hold the wound together until it heals.

3.  hold
hold sth in place
to keep sth from moving
The Velcro holds this piece in place.

4.  hold
to embrace sb
The lovers held each other tightly.

5.  hold
to contain
Each barrel can hold 50 liters of liquid.

6.  hold
to keep in prison; = detain
Police are holding him for questioning; The rebels held him captive for 3 months.

7.  hold
hold sb captive/prisoner/hostage
to organize and invite people to an event
to hold talks/a conference; Interviews will be held next week.

8.  hold
to have or keep a job, official position, or status
to hold a British passport; party members who are not allowed to hold office

9.  hold
hold office
to remain constant
Do you think this good weather will hold all day?

10.  hold
to keep control or possession of sth in a competition, battle, etc.
Rebels hold the southern area.; He's held the boxing title for five years.

11.  hold
to have a particular quality, feeling, or idea
She holds the view that all children are good.

12.  hold
to keep or contain information
Data will be held for a period of 12 months.

13.  hold
to support without breaking
Tie the rope tight or it won't hold.; That old chair will never hold his weight.

14.  hold
to wait while the person you are calling comes to the telephone
Can you hold the line please?; Please hold while I connect you.

15.  hold
hold it
indicates you want sb to wait or stop
Hold it! This isn't working.

16.  hold
hold your breath
to not breathe
divers who can hold their breath for up to two minutes

17.  hold
hold your own
to be as good at doing sth as other people
She can hold her own against anyone in the swimming pool.

18.  hold
keep hold (of)
to not let go of
Keep hold of my hand.

19.  hold
get hold of
to manage to obtain
It's impossible to get hold of tickets for the concert.

20.  hold
to manage to contact
I've been trying to get hold of him all morning.

21.  hold
keep hold of
to not lose
Keep hold of all the tax documents.

22.  hold
on hold
stopped until later
Our plans for the summer are on hold for now.

23.  hold
waiting while the person you want to speak to comes to the telephone
Sir, I'm going to put you on hold.

24.  hold
the storage area of a ship, airplane, etc.
Large suitcases are put in the hold.

Definition of 'hold'

Webster Dictionary

1. (noun) hold
the whole interior portion of a vessel below the lower deck, in which the cargo is stowed

2. (noun) hold
the act of holding, as in or with the hands or arms; the manner of holding, whether firm or loose; seizure; grasp; clasp; gripe; possession; -- often used with the verbs take and lay

3. (noun) hold
the authority or ground to take or keep; claim

4. (noun) hold
binding power and influence

5. (noun) hold
something that may be grasped; means of support

6. (noun) hold
a place of confinement; a prison; confinement; custody; guard

7. (noun) hold
a place of security; a fortified place; a fort; a castle; -- often called a stronghold

8. (noun) hold
a character [thus /] placed over or under a note or rest, and indicating that it is to be prolonged; -- called also pause, and corona

9.  hold
in general, to keep one's self in a given position or condition; to remain fixed. Hence:

10.  hold
not to more; to halt; to stop;-mostly in the imperative

11.  hold
not to give way; not to part or become separated; to remain unbroken or unsubdued

12.  hold
not to fail or be found wanting; to continue; to last; to endure a test or trial; to abide; to persist

13.  hold
not to fall away, desert, or prove recreant; to remain attached; to cleave;-often with with, to, or for

14.  hold
to restrain one's self; to refrain

15.  hold
to derive right or title; -- generally with of

16. (verb) hold
to cause to remain in a given situation, position, or relation, within certain limits, or the like; to prevent from falling or escaping; to sustain; to restrain; to keep in the grasp; to retain

17. (verb) hold
to retain in one's keeping; to maintain possession of, or authority over; not to give up or relinquish; to keep; to defend

18. (verb) hold
to have; to possess; to be in possession of; to occupy; to derive title to; as, to hold office

19. (verb) hold
to impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain

20. (verb) hold
to maintain in being or action; to carry on; to prosecute, as a course of conduct or an argument; to continue; to sustain

21. (verb) hold
to prosecute, have, take, or join in, as something which is the result of united action; as to, hold a meeting, a festival, a session, etc.; hence, to direct and bring about officially; to conduct or preside at; as, the general held a council of war; a judge holds a court; a clergyman holds a service

22. (verb) hold
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

23. (verb) hold
to accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain

24. (verb) hold
to consider; to regard; to esteem; to account; to think; to judge

25. (verb) hold
to bear, carry, or manage; as he holds himself erect; he holds his head high

Definition of 'hold'

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms

1. hold
1. A cargo stowage compartment aboard ship. 2. To maintain or retain possession of by force, as a position or an area. 3. In an attack, to exert sufficient pressure to prevent movement or redisposition of enemy forces. 4. As applied to air traffic, to keep an aircraft within a specified space or location which is identified by visual or other means in accordance with Air Traffic Control instructions. See also fix.

Translation of 'hold'

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

Sense: to have in one's hand(s) or between one's hands He was holding a knife; Hold that dish with both hands; He held the little boy's hand; He held the mouse by its tail.
Afrikaans: hou	Arabic: يَحْمِلُ في يده	Bulgarian: държа
Brazilian: segurar	Czech: držet	German: halten
Danish: holde	Greek: κρατώ	Spanish: tener en las manos, agarr
Estonian: hoidma	Farsi: نگاه داشتن	Finnish: pitää
French: tenir	Hebrew: לְהַחֲזִיק	Hindi: मजबूती से पकड़ना
Croatian: držati, imati u ruci	Hungarian: tart	Indonesian: memegang
Icelandic: halda (á/með/um)	Italian: tenere	Japanese: 持っている
Korean: (손, 팔 등으로) 들다	Lithuanian: laikyti	Latvian: turēt
Malay: memegang	Dutch: (vast)houden	Norwegian: holde, bære
Polish: trzymać	Persian: نگاه داشتن	Pashto: جګول
Portuguese: segurar	Romanian: aţine	Russian: держать
Slovak: držať	Slovenian: držati	Serbian: držati
Swedish: hålla [i]	Thai: จับ; ถือด้วยมือ	Turkish: tutmak
Taiwanese: 握, 拿	Ukrainian: тримати; держати	Urdu: پکڑنا
Vietnamese: cầm, nắm, giữ	Chinese: 把握，拿
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