hold
hold Lexical Profile
hold Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An act or manner of grasping, gripping, or keeping something in one's hands or arms.
"The climber maintained a firm hold on the narrow rock ledge until help arrived."
A temporary pause, delay, or reservation placed on an activity, telephone call, or item.
"The university placed a temporary hold on the construction project pending a budget review."
A degree of power, influence, or control exercised over a person or situation.
"Traditional customs still have a strong hold over the daily lives of the villagers."
The lower interior compartment of a ship or aircraft where cargo is stored.
"The crew spent several hours securing the heavy crates inside the ship's cargo hold."
• verb
To grasp, carry, or support something with one's hands or arms, or to bear the weight of an object.
"She offered to hold the heavy stack of textbooks while her friend unlocked the door."
To contain or be capable of containing a specified amount, volume, or number.
"The main lecture auditorium can comfortably hold up to five hundred students."
To keep, detain, or maintain someone or something in a particular state, position, or place.
"Please hold your applause until all the graduating students have been announced."
To arrange, conduct, and participate in an official meeting, event, or ceremony.
"The municipal council will hold a public hearing next Tuesday to discuss the new transit plan."
To possess an official position or title, or to maintain a particular belief, opinion, or legal ruling.
"The Supreme Court held that the new regulation was entirely consistent with federal law."
• Rhymes for hold
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb and grip-related noun derive from Old English healdan ('to keep, watch over, grasp, or contain'), from Proto-Germanic *haldana ('to tend livestock, watch over'). The nautical sense denoting a ship's cargo space arose in the 16th century as an alteration of earlier holl ('hollow'), influenced by the verb hold.