hold sth/sb down

— Phrasal Verb with hold

/həʊld/ verb (past tense and past participle held)

Definition

PREVENT ESCAPING › to stop someone moving or escaping: It took three officers to hold down the suspect.

KEEP LOW › to keep the cost of something at a low level: to hold down prices/wages

hold down a job › to keep a job: It's difficult for mothers to hold down a full-time job.

(Definition of hold sth/sb down from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

whatever happens

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.