closely held

adjective

: having most stock shares and voting rights in the hands of a few

a closely held business

Examples of closely held in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

None of it masks the fact that nostalgia, no matter how closely held and beloved, is not enough to save a film. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Some of those advisors are now helping the company deal with Stripe’s formal bid — details of which are relatively closely held even within PayPal. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 15 July 2026

Industrywide sales figures are closely held. — ABC News, 16 May 2026

And real power remains closely held among a small circle of Sharaa’s associates and former Tahrir al-Sham members. — Sam Heller, Time, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for closely held

• unparalleled
• barrelled
• beheld
• bushveld
• chiselled
• compelled
• dispelled
• excelled
• expelled
• handheld
• impelled
• marvelled

Legal Definition

closely held

adjective

close·​ly held

ˈklōs-lē-ˈheld

: having most stock shares and corporate voting rights in the hands of a few shareholders