Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - hold

I. [c red]PHYSICALLY TOUCHING, SUPPORTING, OR CONTAINING (holds, holding, held) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. When you hold something, you carry or support it, using your hands or your arms. Hold the knife at an angle... He held the pistol in his right hand... VERB: V n prep/adv, V n • Hold is also a noun. He released his hold on the camera. N-COUNT: usu sing 2. Hold is used in expressions such as grab hold of, catch hold of, and get hold of, to indicate that you close your hand tightly around something, for example to stop something moving or falling. I was woken up by someone grabbing hold of my sleeping bag... A doctor and a nurse caught hold of his arms... N-UNCOUNT: N of n 3. When you hold someone, you put your arms round them, usually because you want to show them how much you like them or because you want to comfort them. If only he would hold her close to him. VERB: V n adv, also V n 4. If you hold someone in a particular position, you use force to keep them in that position and stop them from moving. He then held the man in an armlock until police arrived... I’d got two nurses holding me down. VERB: V n prep, V n with adv, also V n 5. A hold is a particular way of keeping someone in a position using your own hands, arms, or legs. ...use of an unauthorized hold on a handcuffed suspect. N-COUNT 6. When you hold a part of your body, you put your hand on or against it, often because it hurts. Soon she was crying bitterly about the pain and was holding her throat. VERB: V n 7. When you hold a part of your body in a particular position, you put it into that position and keep it there. Hold your hands in front of your face... He walked at a rapid pace with his back straight and his head held erect. VERB: V n prep/adv, V-ed, also V n adj 8. If one thing holds another in a particular position, it keeps it in that position. ...the wooden wedge which held the heavy door open... They used steel pins to hold everything in place. VERB: V n with adv, V n prep 9. If one thing is used to hold another, it is used to store it. Two knife racks hold her favourite knives. = store VERB: V n 10. In a ship or aeroplane, a hold is a place where cargo or luggage is stored. A fire had been reported in the cargo hold. N-COUNT: oft n N 11. If a place holds something, it keeps it available for reference or for future use. The Small Firms Service holds an enormous amount of information on any business problem... VERB: V n 12. If something holds a particular amount of something, it can contain that amount. One CD-ROM disk can hold over 100,000 pages of text. VERB: no cont, V n 13. If a vehicle holds the road well, it remains in close contact with the road and can be controlled safely and easily. I thought the car held the road really well. VERB: V n adv, also V n 14. see also holding II. [c red]HAVING OR DOING (holds, holding, held) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: 'Hold' is often used to indicate that someone or something has the particular thing, characteristic, or attitude that is mentioned. Therefore it takes most of its meaning from the word that follows it. 1. Hold is used with words and expressions indicating an opinion or belief, to show that someone has a particular opinion or believes that something is true. He holds certain expectations about the teacher’s role... Current thinking holds that obesity is more a medical than a psychological problem... The public, meanwhile, hold architects in low esteem. ...a widely held opinion. VERB: no cont, V n, V that, V n in n, V-ed 2. Hold is used with words such as ‘fear’ or ‘mystery’ to indicate someone’s feelings towards something, as if those feelings were a characteristic of the thing itself. Death doesn’t hold any fear for me... It held more mystery than even the darkest jungle... VERB: no passive, V n for n, V n 3. Hold is used with nouns such as ‘office’, ‘power’, and ‘responsibility’ to indicate that someone has a particular position of power or authority. She has never held ministerial office... VERB: V n 4. Hold is used with nouns such as ‘permit’, ‘degree’, or ‘ticket’ to indicate that someone has a particular document that allows them to do something. He did not hold a firearm certificate... Passengers holding tickets will receive refunds. VERB: V n, V n 5. Hold is used with nouns such as ‘party’, ‘meeting’, ‘talks’, ‘election’, and ‘trial’ to indicate that people are organizing a particular activity. The German sports federation said it would hold an investigation. VERB: V n • holding They also called for the holding of multi-party general elections. N-UNCOUNT: N of n 6. Hold is used with nouns such as ‘conversation’, ‘interview’, and ‘talks’ to indicate that two or more people meet and discuss something. The Prime Minister, is holding consultations with his colleagues to finalise the deal... The engineer and his son held frequent consultations concerning technical problems... They can’t believe you can even hold a conversation. V-RECIP: V n with n, pl-n V, V n (non-recip) 7. Hold is used with nouns such as ‘shares’ and ‘stock’ to indicate that someone owns a particular proportion of a business. The group said it continues to hold 1,774,687 Vons shares... VERB: V n see also holding 8. Hold is used with words such as ‘lead’ or ‘advantage’ to indicate that someone is winning or doing well in a contest. He continued to hold a lead in Angola’s presidential race... VERB: V n 9. Hold is used with nouns such as ‘attention’ or ‘interest’ to indicate that what you do or say keeps someone interested or listening to you. If you want to hold someone’s attention, look them directly in the eye but don’t stare... = keep VERB: V n 10. If you hold someone responsible, liable, or accountable for something, you will blame them if anything goes wrong. It’s impossible to hold any individual responsible. VERB: V n adj III. [c red]CONTROLLING OR REMAINING (holds, holding, held) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If someone holds you in a place, they keep you there as a prisoner and do not allow you to leave. The inside of a van was as good a place as any to hold a kidnap victim... Somebody is holding your wife hostage... Japan had originally demanded the return of two seamen held on spying charges. VERB: V n, V n n, V-ed 2. If people such as an army or a violent crowd hold a place, they control it by using force. Demonstrators have been holding the square since Sunday. VERB: V n 3. If you have a hold over someone, you have power or control over them, for example because you know something about them you can use to threaten them or because you are in a position of authority. He had ordered his officers to keep an exceptionally firm hold over their men... N-SING: usu N over/on n 4. If you ask someone to hold, or to hold the line, when you are answering a telephone call, you are asking them to wait for a short time, for example so that you can find the person they want to speak to. Could you hold the line and I’ll just get my pen... A telephone operator asked him to hold. = hold on VERB: no passive, V n, V 5. If you hold telephone calls for someone, you do not allow people who phone to speak to that person, but take messages instead. He tells his secretary to hold his calls. VERB: V n 6. If something holds at a particular value or level, or is held there, it is kept at that value or level. OPEC production is holding at around 21.5 million barrels a day... The Prime Minister yesterday ruled out Government action to hold down petrol prices... The final dividend will be held at 20.7p, after an 8 per cent increase. ...provided the pound holds its value against the euro. VERB: V prep/adv/adj, V n with adv, V n prep/adj, V n 7. If you hold a sound or musical note, you continue making it. ...a voice which hit and held every note with perfect ease and clarity. VERB: V n 8. If you hold something such as a train, a lift, or an elevator, you delay it. A London Underground spokesman defended the decision to hold the train until police arrived. VERB: V n 9. If an offer or invitation still holds, it is still available for you to accept. Does your offer still hold? VERB: V 10. If a good situation holds, it continues and does not get worse or fail. Our luck couldn’t hold for ever... Would the weather hold?... VERB: V, V 11. If an argument or theory holds, it is true or valid, even after close examination. Today, most people think that argument no longer holds... VERB: V • Hold up means the same as hold. Democrats say arguments against the bill won’t hold up. PHRASAL VERB: V P 12. If part of a structure holds, it does not fall or break although there is a lot of force or pressure on it. How long would the roof hold? VERB: V 13. If laws or rules hold, they exist and remain in force. These laws also hold for universities. VERB: V 14. If you hold to a promise or to high standards of behaviour, you keep that promise or continue to behave according to those standards. (FORMAL) Will the President be able to hold to this commitment?... = stick to VERB: V to n 15. If someone or something holds you to a promise or to high standards of behaviour, they make you keep that promise or those standards. Don’t hold me to that... VERB: V n to n IV. [c red]PHRASES (holds, holding, held) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Please look at category 13 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword. 1. If you hold forth on a subject, you speak confidently and for a long time about it, especially to a group of people. Barry was holding forth on politics. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR on n 2. If you get hold of an object or information, you obtain it, usually after some difficulty. It is hard to get hold of guns in this country. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 3. If you get hold of a fact or a subject, you learn about it and understand it well. (BRIT INFORMAL) He first had to get hold of some basic facts. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 4. If you get hold of someone, you manage to contact them. The only electrician we could get hold of was miles away. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 5. If you say ‘Hold it’, you are telling someone to stop what they are doing and to wait. Hold it! Don’t move! = stop CONVENTION 6. If you put something on hold, you decide not to do it, deal with it, or change it now, but to leave it until later. He put his retirement on hold until he had found a solution... PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR 7. If you hold your own, you are able to resist someone who is attacking or opposing you. The Frenchman held his own against the challenger. PHRASE: V inflects 8. If you can do something well enough to hold your own, you do not appear foolish when you are compared with someone who is generally thought to be very good at it. She can hold her own against almost any player. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR against n 9. If you hold still, you do not move. Can’t you hold still for a second? PHRASE: V inflects 10. If something takes hold, it gains complete control or influence over a person or thing. She felt a strange excitement taking hold of her... PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of n 11. If you hold tight, you put your hand round or against something in order to prevent yourself from falling over. A bus driver might say ‘Hold tight!’ to you if you are standing on a bus when it is about to move. He held tight to the rope... = hang on PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR prep 12. If you hold tight, you do not immediately start a course of action that you have been planning or thinking about. The unions have circulated their branches, urging members to hold tight until a national deal is struck. PHRASE: V inflects 13. to hold something at bay: see bay to hold your breath: see breath to hold something in check: see check to hold court: see court to hold fast: see fast to hold the fort: see fort to hold your ground: see ground to hold your peace: see peace to hold someone to ransom: see ransom to hold sway: see sway to hold your tongue: see tongue