hold
noun
- ship compartment for carrying cargo
- act of grasping, bearing, or keeping
verb
- physically control
- conduct, hosting
- grant, view, declare, believing
- keep, last, maintain
- adhere to, follow
- to have or contain (usually abstract), having or containing
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /həʊld/ / [hɒʊɫd] / /hɔwld/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English hold, holde, from Old English hold (“gracious, friendly, kind”), from Proto-West Germanic *holþ, from Proto-Germanic *hulþaz (“favourable, gracious, loyal”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to tend, incline, bend, tip”). Cognate with German hold (“gracious, friendly, sympathetic, grateful”), Danish and Swedish huld (“fair, kindly, gracious”), Icelandic hollur (“faithful, dedicated, loyal”), German Huld (“grace, favour”).
- Gracious; friendly; faithful; true.
“at the proper moment, I stepped forward with a gay heart and a hold one”
noun
Etymology: Alteration (due to hold) of hole. Cognate with Dutch hol (“hole, cave, den, cavity, cargo hold”), Dutch holte (“cavity, hollow, den”).
- The cargo area of a ship or aircraft (often holds or cargo hold).
“We watched our luggage being loaded into the hold of the plane.”
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *haldaną Proto-West Germanic *haldan Old English healdan Middle English holden English hold Derived from Middle English holden, derived from Old English healdan, derived from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, derived from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to tend, herd”), maybe derived from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”). Doublet of halt. Cognates *West Frisian hâlde *Low German holden, holen *Dutch houden *German halten *Danish *Norwegian Bokmål holde *Norwegian Nynorsk halda. Compare Latin celer (“quick”), Tocharian B käl- (“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω (kéllō, “to drive”), Sanskrit कलयति (kalayati, “to impel”).
- To grasp or grip.
“Hold the pencil like this.”
“But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…].”
- To contain or store.
“This package holds six bottles.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“Hold my coat for me.”
“The general ordered the colonel to hold his position at all costs.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“Hold a table for us at 7:00.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“Hold the elevator.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“Patients who test positive for COVID-19 infection should be advised to hold their biologic dose until their infection clears.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“Hold the suspect in this cell.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“to hold true”
“The proposition holds.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“to hold firm”
“Mother[…]considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“We cannot hold mortality's strong hand.”
“Death! what do'st? O, hold thy blow.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“He holds himself proudly erect.”
“Hold your head high.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“Lay on, Macduff, and damned him that first cries hold, enough!”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“Our force by land hath nobly held.”
- To maintain or keep to a position or state.
“to hold one's bladder”
“to hold one's breath”
- To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
“She holds that passive index funds beat actively managed ones: she says that "set it and forget it," when done right, beats playing the market as a gambler.”
“He neuer hild but gracious thoughts of vvomen, yeat, I vvinne, / The fayreſt She he euer ſavv might quit his thoughts of ſinne.”
- To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
“He was held responsible for the actions of those under his command.”
“I'll hold him to that promise.”
- To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
“Hold not thy peace, and be not still.”
“Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost, / Shall hold their course.”
- To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
“Stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught.”
“These reasons mov'd her starlike husband's heart, But still he held his purpose to depart:”
- To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
“His dauntless heart would fain have held / From weeping, but his eyes rebelled.”
- To win one's own service game.
- To take place, to occur.
“He came into the hall where the wedding-festival had held […].”
- To organise an event or meeting (usually in passive voice).
“Elections will be held on the first Sunday of next month.”
“Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.”
- To derive right or title.
“My Crovvn is abſolute, and holds of none.”
“His imagination holds immediately from nature.”
- In a food or drink order at an informal restaurant etc., requesting that a component normally included in that order be omitted.
“One ham-and-cheese sandwich; hold the mustard.”
“A martini, please, and hold the olive.”
- To be in possession of illicit drugs for sale.
“[…] first thing clients would say to me would be 'Are you holding?' I'd say yes if we had our supply and no if it was dangerous.”