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hold

If you grasp something in your hands, you hold it. Be careful when you hold the puppy — he's so wriggly, and you wouldn't want to drop him!

Hold also means to keep from exhaling. If you forget to hold your breath when you go underwater, you're sure to come up sputtering. The noun hold means the cargo area on a ship or airplane. When you check your bag, it's stored in the hold of the plane during the flight. If you packed your book and your snacks in it, it might make more sense to hold onto it instead.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: hold

1	v n	have or hold in one's hands or grip the act of grasping
2	v n	keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean" a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
3	v n	maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings) understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: hold

v have or hold in one's hands or grip

“Hold this bowl for a moment, please”

“A crazy idea took hold of him”

Synonyms:: take hold

Antonyms:: let go, let go of, release, relinquish
release, as from one's grip

Types:: show 11 types...; hide 11 types...; grasp, hold on
hold firmly; cling to, clutch, hold close, hold tight
hold firmly, usually with one's hands; cradle
hold gently and carefully; clinch
hold a boxing opponent with one or both arms so as to prevent punches; interlace, interlock, lock
hold in a locking position; trap
hold or catch as if in a trap; cradle
hold or place in or as if in a cradle; latch on
take hold of or attach to; cling, hang
hold on tightly or tenaciously; clasp
hold firmly and tightly; cuddle, draw close, nest, nestle, nuzzle, snuggle
move or arrange oneself in a comfortable and cozy position

v cover as for protection against noise or smell

“She held her ears when the jackhammer started to operate”

“hold one's nose”

Type of:: cover
provide with a covering or cause to be covered

v aim, point, or direct

“Hold the fire extinguisher directly on the flames”

Type of:: aim, direct, take, take aim, train
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards

v be the physical support of; carry the weight of

“The beam holds up the roof”

“What's holding that mirror?”

Synonyms:: hold up, support, sustain

Types:: show 13 types...; hide 13 types...; scaffold
provide with a scaffold for support; block
support, secure, or raise with a block; carry
bear or be able to bear the weight, pressure,or responsibility of; chock
support on chocks; buoy, buoy up
keep afloat; pole
support on poles; bracket
support with brackets; underpin
support from beneath; prop, prop up, shore, shore up
support by placing against something solid or rigid; truss
support structurally; brace
support by bracing; bolster
prop up with a pillow or bolster; tread
brace (an archer's bow) by pressing the foot against the center

v support or hold in a certain manner

“She holds her head high”

Synonyms:: bear, carry

Types:: show 11 types...; hide 11 types...; sling
hold or carry in a sling; stoop
carry oneself, often habitually, with head, shoulders, and upper back bent forward; piggyback
support on the back and shoulders; balance, poise
hold or carry in equilibrium; acquit, bear, behave, carry, comport, conduct, deport
behave in a certain manner; juggle
hold with difficulty and balance insecurely; fluster
be flustered; behave in a confused manner; assert, put forward
insist on having one's opinions and rights recognized; deal
behave in a certain way towards others; walk around
behave in a certain manner or have certain properties; pose, posture
behave affectedly or unnaturally in order to impress others

v contain or hold; have within

“The canteen holds fresh water”

Synonyms:: bear, carry, contain

: contain, take
be capable of holding or containing

Types:: show 7 types...; hide 7 types...; retain
hold back within; confine, enclose, hold in
close in; darkness enclosed him"; border, bound
form the boundary of; be contiguous to; embank
enclose with banks, as for support or protection; rail, rail in
enclose with rails; box in, box up
enclose or confine as if in a box; frame
enclose in a frame, as of a picture

Type of:: include
have as a part, be made up out of

v have room for; hold without crowding

“The auditorium can't hold more than 500 people”

Synonyms:: accommodate, admit

: contain, take
be capable of holding or containing

Types:: sleep
be able to accommodate for sleeping; house
contain or cover; seat
be able to seat

v be capable of holding or containing

“The flask holds one gallon”

Synonyms:: contain, take

: bear, carry, contain
contain or hold; have within; accommodate, admit
have room for; hold without crowding

Type of:: be
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)

v have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense

“She holds a Master's degree from Harvard”

Synonyms:: have, have got

: feature, have
have as a feature

Types:: show 22 types...; hide 22 types...; keep, maintain, sustain
supply with necessities and support; hold on, keep
retain possession of; keep
look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; keep, maintain
maintain for use and service; keep
have as a supply; monopolise, monopolize
have or exploit a monopoly of; exert, maintain, wield
have and exercise; carry, stock, stockpile
have on hand; bear
have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices; carry
have or possess something abstract; patronage
support by being a patron of; reseed
maintain by seeding without human intervention; carry over, hold over
hold over goods to be sold for the next season; deny, refuse
refuse to let have; deduct, recoup, withhold
retain and refrain from disbursing; of payments; preserve, save
to keep up and reserve for personal or special use; conserve, keep up, maintain, preserve
keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction; hive away, lay in, put in, salt away, stack away, stash away, store
keep or lay aside for future use; store
find a place for and put away for storage; hold back, keep back, retain
secure and keep for possible future use or application; harbor, harbour
keep in one's possession; of animals; carry
keep up with financial support

v have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices

“He held the governorship for almost a decade”

Synonyms:: bear

Type of:: have, have got
have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense

v have as a major characteristic

“The novel holds many surprises”

“The book holds in store much valuable advise”

Type of:: be
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)

v hold the attention of

“The soprano held the audience”

“This story held our interest”

“She can hold an audience spellbound”

Type of:: becharm, beguile, bewitch, captivate, capture, catch, charm, enamor, enamour, enchant, entrance, fascinate, trance
attract; cause to be enamored

v drink alcohol without showing ill effects

“He can hold his liquor”

Synonyms:: carry

Type of:: booze, drink, fuddle
consume alcohol

n the act of grasping

“she kept a firm hold on the railing”

Synonyms:: clasp, clench, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip

Types:: show 12 types...; hide 12 types...; choke hold, chokehold
a restraining hold; someone loops the arm around the neck of another person in a tight grip, usually from behind; embrace, embracement, embracing
the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection); wrestling hold
a hold used in the sport of wrestling; cuddle, nestle, snuggle
a close and affectionate (and often prolonged) embrace; clinch, hug, squeeze
a tight or amorous embrace; bear hug
a wrestling hold with arms locked tightly around the opponent; nelson
any of several wrestling holds in which an arm is passed under the opponent's arm from behind and the hand exerts pressure on the back of the neck; Japanese stranglehold
a wrestling hold in which the opponent's arms are crossed in front of his own neck to exert pressure on his windpipe; lock
any wrestling hold in which some part of the opponent's body is twisted or pressured; scissor grip, scissor hold, scissors, scissors grip, scissors hold
a wrestling hold in which you wrap your legs around the opponents body or head and put your feet together and squeeze; stranglehold
a wrestling hold in which the arms are pressed against the opponent's windpipe; toehold
a wrestling hold in which the toe is held and the leg is twisted against the joints

Type of:: grasping, prehension, seizing, taking hold
the act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles)

n the space in a ship or aircraft for storing cargo

Synonyms:: cargo area, cargo deck, cargo hold, storage area

Type of:: enclosure
a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose

n a stronghold

Type of:: fastness, stronghold
a strongly fortified defensive structure

n a cell in a jail or prison

Synonyms:: keep

Type of:: cell, jail cell, prison cell
a room where a prisoner is kept

n the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it

Synonyms:: grip, handgrip, handle

Types:: show 21 types...; hide 21 types...; ax handle, axe handle
the handle of an ax; broom handle, broomstick
the handle of a broom; crop
the stock or handle of a whip; haft, helve
the handle of a weapon or tool; hilt
the handle of a sword or dagger; hoe handle
the handle of a hoe; knob
a round handle; mop handle
the handle of a mop; panhandle
the handle of a pan; pommel, saddlebow
handgrip formed by the raised front part of a saddle; pommel
a handgrip that a gymnast uses when performing exercises on a pommel horse; rake handle
the handle of a rake; stock
the handle end of some implements or tools; gunstock, stock
the handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun; basket hilt
a hilt with a basket-shaped guard for the hand; bitstock, brace
a carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring; butt, butt end
thick end of the handle; doorhandle, doorknob
a knob used to release the catch when opening a door (often called `doorhandle' in Great Britain); horn, saddle horn
a high pommel of a Western saddle (usually metal covered with leather); pistol grip
a handle (as of a gun or saw) shaped like the butt of a pistol; stop
(music) a knob on an organ that is pulled to change the sound quality from the organ pipes

Type of:: appendage
a part that is joined to something larger

n power by which something or someone is affected or dominated

“he has a hold over them”

Type of:: control
power to direct or determine

v keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"

“hold in place”

“She always held herself as a lady”

Synonyms:: keep, maintain

Types:: show 12 types...; hide 12 types...; pressurise, pressurize
maintain a certain pressure; bear on, carry on, continue, preserve, uphold
keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last; hold over
keep in a position or state from an earlier period of time; conserve
keep constant through physical or chemical reactions or evolutionary change; preserve
keep undisturbed for personal or private use for hunting, shooting, or fishing; distance
keep at a distance; housekeep
maintain a household; take care of all business related to a household; re-start, restart, resume
take up or begin anew; hang in, hang on, hold on, persevere, persist
be persistent, refuse to stop; perpetuate
cause to continue or prevail; keep up, prolong, sustain
lengthen or extend in duration or space; mummify
preserve while making lifeless

v secure and keep for possible future use or application

Synonyms:: hold back, keep back, retain

Types:: hold down
keep

Type of:: hold on, keep
retain possession of

v arrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance

“please hold a table at Maxim's”

Synonyms:: book, reserve

: reserve
obtain or arrange (for oneself) in advance

Types:: hold open, keep, keep open, save
retain rights to

Type of:: bespeak, call for, quest, request
express the need or desire for; ask for

v organize or be responsible for

“hold a reception”

Synonyms:: give, have, make, throw

Type of:: direct
be in charge of

v take and maintain control over, often by violent means

“The dissatisfied students held the President's office for almost a week”

Synonyms: defend, guard
protect against a challenge or attack

Type of:: command, control
exercise authoritative control or power over

v protect against a challenge or attack

“Hold that position behind the trees!”

“Hold the bridge against the enemy's attacks”

Synonyms:: defend, guard

Type of:: protect
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage

v lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits

“hold your tongue”

“hold your temper”

Synonyms:: check, contain, control, curb, hold in, moderate

Types:: show 37 types...; hide 37 types...; bound, confine, limit, restrain, restrict, throttle, trammel
place limits on (extent or access); conquer, curb, inhibit, stamp down, subdue, suppress
to put down by force or authority; damp
restrain or discourage; crucify, mortify, subdue
hold within limits and control; abnegate, deny
deny oneself (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure; restrict
place under restrictions; limit access to; train
cause to grow in a certain way by tying and pruning it; catch
check oneself during an action; bate
moderate or restrain; lessen the force of; thermostat
control the temperature with a thermostat; counteract, countercheck
oppose or check by a counteraction; blink, blink away, wink
force to go away by blinking; reduce, tighten
narrow or limit; tie
limit or restrict to; gate
restrict (school boys') movement to the dormitory or campus as a means of punishment; draw a line, draw the line
reasonably object (to) or set a limit (on); mark off, mark out
set boundaries to and delimit; harness, rein, rule
keep in check; baffle, regulate
check the emission of (sound); cramp, halter, hamper, strangle
prevent the progress or free movement of; dampen, stifle
smother or suppress; choke back, choke down, choke off
suppress; constrain, stiffen, tighten, tighten up
restrict; clamp down, crack down
repress or suppress (something regarded as undesirable); hush, hush up, quieten, shut up, silence, still
cause to be quiet or not talk; inhibit
limit the range or extent of; burke
get rid of, silence, or suppress; silence
keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure; quell, quench, squelch
suppress or crush completely; constrain, cumber, encumber, restrain
hold back; muffle, repress, smother, stifle, strangle
conceal or hide; mortify
practice self-denial of one's body and appetites; classify
declare unavailable, as for security reasons; taboo
declare as sacred and forbidden; trellis
train on a trellis, as of a vine; scant, skimp
limit in quality or quantity; localise, localize
restrict something to a particular area

Type of:: hold back, keep, keep back, restrain
keep under control; keep in check

v keep from exhaling or expelling

“hold your breath”

Type of:: hold back, keep, keep back, restrain
keep under control; keep in check

v keep from departing

“Hold the taxi”

“Hold the horse”

Type of:: keep, prevent
stop (someone or something) from doing something or being in a certain state

v 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”

Synonyms:: confine, restrain

Types:: show 13 types...; hide 13 types...; bind, tie down, tie up, truss
secure with or as if with ropes; fetter, shackle
restrain with fetters; enchain
restrain or bind with chains; pinion, shackle
bind the arms of; impound, pound
place or shut up in a pound; pound, pound up
shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits; fold, pen up
confine in a fold, like sheep; ground
confine or restrict to the ground; chain up
tie up with chains; faggot, faggot up, fagot
bind or tie up in or as if in a faggot; faggot, fagot
fasten together rods of iron in order to heat or weld them; hog-tie
tie together somebody's limbs; cuff, handcuff, manacle
confine or restrain with or as if with manacles or handcuffs

Type of:: disable, disenable, incapacitate
make unable to perform a certain action

v bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted

“He's held by a contract”

“I'll hold you by your promise”

Synonyms:: bind, obligate, oblige

Types:: show 4 types...; hide 4 types...; pledge
bind or secure by a pledge; article
bind by a contract; especially for a training period; indent, indenture
bind by or as if by indentures, as of an apprentice or servant; tie down
restrain from independence by an obligation

Type of:: relate
have or establish a relationship to

v stop dealing with

“hold all calls to the President's office while he is in a meeting”

Type of:: defer, hold over, postpone, prorogue, put off, put over, remit, set back, shelve, table
hold back to a later time

v cause to stop

Synonyms:: arrest, halt

Type of:: stop
cause to stop

v remain in a certain state, position, or condition

“The weather held”

“They held on the road and kept marching”

Type of:: continue, go along, go on, keep, proceed
continue a certain state, condition, or activity

v be valid, applicable, or true

“This theory still holds”

Synonyms:: obtain, prevail

Type of:: be, exist
have an existence, be extant

v be pertinent or relevant or applicable

“This theory holds for all irrational numbers”

Synonyms:: apply, go for

: apply, lend oneself
be applicable to; as to an analysis

Type of:: bear on, come to, concern, have-to doe with, pertain, refer, relate, touch, touch on
be relevant to

v resist or confront with resistance

“The bridge held”

Synonyms:: defy, hold up, withstand

Types:: brave, brave out, endure, weather
face and withstand with courage

Type of:: hold out, resist, stand firm, withstand
stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something

n a state of being confined (usually for a short time)

“the prisoner is on hold”

Synonyms:: custody, detainment, detention

Type of:: confinement
the state of being confined

n time during which some action is awaited

“he ordered a hold in the action”

Synonyms:: delay, postponement, time lag, wait

Types:: extension
a mutually agreed delay in the date set for the completion of a job or payment of a debt; moratorium
a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be discharged; retardation
the extent to which something is delayed or held back

Type of:: break, intermission, interruption, pause, suspension
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

v maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)

Synonyms:: entertain, harbor, harbour, nurse

Type of:: experience, feel
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

v assert or affirm

“Rousseau's philosophy holds that people are inherently good”

Synonyms: deem, take for, view as
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view

Type of:: affirm, assert, aver, avow, swan, swear, verify
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

v keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view

“hold these truths to be self-evident”

“I hold him personally responsible”

Synonyms:: deem, take for, view as

Type of:: consider, reckon, regard, see, view
deem to be

v declare to be

“judge held that the defendant was innocent”

Synonyms:: adjudge, declare

Types:: show 31 types...; hide 31 types...; acknowledge, admit
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of; superannuate
declare to be obsolete; bastardise, bastardize
declare a child to be illegitimate; certify
declare legally insane; call
declare in the capacity of an umpire or referee; beatify
declare (a dead person) to be blessed; the first step of achieving sainthood; canonise, canonize, saint
declare (a dead person) to be a saint; judge, label, pronounce
pronounce judgment on; cancel, strike down
declare null and void; make ineffective; formalise, formalize
make formal or official; ritualise, ritualize
make or evolve into a ritual; attorn
acknowledge a new land owner as one's landlord; write off
concede the loss or worthlessness of something or somebody; annul, countermand, lift, overturn, repeal, rescind, reverse, revoke, vacate
cancel officially; make no bones about
acknowledge freely and openly; sustain
admit as valid; concede, confess, profess
admit (to a wrongdoing); confess
confess to God in the presence of a priest, as in the Catholic faith; confess, fink, squeal
confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure; avouch, avow
admit openly and bluntly; make no bones about; acquit, assoil, clear, discharge, exculpate, exonerate
pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; convict
find or declare guilty; tout
advertize in strongly positive terms; find, rule
decide on and make a declaration about; qualify
pronounce fit or able; disqualify
declare unfit; remit
release from (claims, debts, or taxes); intonate, intone
speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch or in a particular tone; write off
cancel (a debt); annul, avoid, invalidate, nullify, quash, void
declare invalid; recall
make unavailable; bar from sale or distribution

Type of:: evaluate, judge, pass judgment
form a critical opinion of

v be in accord; be in agreement

“I hold with those who say life is sacred”

Synonyms:: agree, concord, concur

: agree
achieve harmony of opinion, feeling, or purpose

Antonyms:: differ, disagree, dissent, take issue
be of different opinions

Types:: show 14 types...; hide 14 types...; settle
end a legal dispute by arriving at a settlement; conciliate, make up, patch up, reconcile, settle
come to terms; see eye to eye
be in agreement; concede, grant, yield
be willing to concede; subscribe, support
adopt as a belief; conclude, resolve
reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation; arrange, fix up
make arrangements for; determine, settle, square off, square up
settle conclusively; come to terms; appease, propitiate
make peace with; forgive
stop blaming or grant forgiveness; firm up
arrange firmly; make peace
end hostilities; concord
arrange by concord or agreement; settle
dispose of; make a financial settlement

v remain committed to

“I hold to these ideas”

Type of:: believe, conceive, consider, think
judge or regard; look upon; judge

n understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something

Synonyms:: appreciation, grasp

Types:: sense
a natural appreciation or ability

Type of:: apprehension, discernment, savvy, understanding
the cognitive condition of someone who understands

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