hold
/həʊld/ verb (past tense and past participle held)Definition
IN HAND [T] › to have something in your hand or arms: He was holding a glass of wine. She held the baby in her arms. They were holding hands and kissing.
KEEP IN POSITION [T] › to keep something in a particular position: Can you hold the door open please? Hold your hand up if you know the answer. The frame was held together with screws. They held a gun to his head.
ORGANIZE [T] › to organize an event: to hold talks/an election
CONTAIN [T] › to contain something or to be able to contain a particular amount of something: The bucket holds about 10 litres.
JOB OR QUALIFICATION [T] › to have a particular job, position, or qualification: She held the post of treasurer.
COMPETITION [T] › to have a particular position in a competition: to hold the world record to hold the lead
STORE [T] › to store documents, information, etc in a particular place: The documents are held in the local library.
PRISONER [T] › to keep someone as a prisoner: Police held the suspect overnight. The hijackers are holding them hostage/prisoner.
ARMY [T] › If soldiers hold a place, they control it: Rebel troops held the village.
hold an opinion/belief/view › to believe something: They held the view that corporal punishment was good for children.
hold a conversation › to have a conversation
hold sb's attention/interest › to keep someone interested in something: The film held my attention from beginning to end.
TELEPHONE [I, T] › to wait on the telephone until someone can speak to you: Her line's busy. Would you like to hold? Hold the line, please.
NOT BREAK [I] › to not break: The rope held.
Hold it! informal › used to tell someone to wait or stop doing something: Hold it! I've forgotten my coat.
hold shares › to own shares (= small, equal parts of the value of a company)
hold your breath › to intentionally stop breathing for a time › to wait for something to happen, often feeling anxious
hold your nose › to close your nose with your fingers to avoid smelling something unpleasant → See also hold your own
(Definition of hold verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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