1
as in clutched
to have or keep in one's hands
this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in retained
to continue to have in one's possession or power
she, and she alone, held the keys to the mysterious chest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in believed
to have as an opinion
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"
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4
5
as in had
to keep in one's mind or heart
still held her close to his heart, though they had long parted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in owned
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
the same family has held this piece of land for over 100 years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
as in grasped
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
please hold my arm on these slippery stairs
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
10
as in controlled
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
we managed to hold our laughter until we got outside hold your temper until you hear the whole story
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in aimed
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal
held the camera on the actor throughout the scene
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of held
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.
—
Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
Mack held 35 actress and five producer credits during her career, according to the statement posted to CaringBridge.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
That’s different from another type of equity offering held by the NFL.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 5 Aug. 2025
One of the duties Lelakes has held at the YMCA is overseeing facilities across the county of San Diego for maintenance and capital improvement projects.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
The docuseries will be available to stream beginning Thursday on Prime Video, but an early screening of the second episode was held Monday for a collection of friends, family, business associates and media.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
During 9/11, people walked down the stairs in single file and held the door open for each other.
—Rascal Kemble-Curry, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2025
Ensign said the Department of Homeland Security is complying with the law during deportations, and people could file challenges individually in Texas, where they were held before being sent to El Salvador.
—arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
Mack held 35 actress and five producer credits during her career, according to the statement posted to CaringBridge.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
That’s different from another type of equity offering held by the NFL.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 5 Aug. 2025
One of the duties Lelakes has held at the YMCA is overseeing facilities across the county of San Diego for maintenance and capital improvement projects.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
The docuseries will be available to stream beginning Thursday on Prime Video, but an early screening of the second episode was held Monday for a collection of friends, family, business associates and media.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
During 9/11, people walked down the stairs in single file and held the door open for each other.
—Rascal Kemble-Curry, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2025
Ensign said the Department of Homeland Security is complying with the law during deportations, and people could file challenges individually in Texas, where they were held before being sent to El Salvador.
—arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held
Verb
-
Tatum clutched his ankle and writhed in agony on the hardwood of Madison Square Garden before being wheeled to the locker room, head in hands.—
Andy Scholes,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The twenty-one-year-old is talking on the phone, and the ten-year-old is asleep on the sofa, her iPad clutched in her hands, her mouth slightly open.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This was essentially a cost-saving and simplification exercise and few alarm bells rang at the time, not least because BHP retained a standard listing on the LSE, allowing British investors to remain exposed to the business.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
It was reported not long after Collier’s press conference that Engelbert isn’t expected to be retained as commissioner once the new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The funds will support ongoing rescue and cleanup efforts, including the removal of hazardous pressurized tanks scattered across Globe, many of which are believed to contain propane.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Grace is not weakness but resolve, the Charleston families believed, and politics, too, depends on a willingness to coax one another toward better ground.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Between 2018 and 2022, more than two-thirds of cases of female breast cancer were diagnosed at a localized stage, meaning the cancer was contained to the breast, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Safdie may have found a new way to make a sports drama, one that relies less on the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat and more on all that is contained in the ambivalent middle.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The families would go to fundraisers and other events together, and all of their children came along, because nobody had babysitters.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Investigators would soon discover a disturbing truth that Daniel had been impersonating a boyfriend Kristil had as a teenager for months, terrorizing his own family before ultimately killing his wife.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Clad in a brown-and-forest-green leather biker crop top that showed off her pregnancy, baggy blue jeans, and reddish hair, Cardi fully owned the moment, surrounded by dancers whose electric choreography amplified the vibe.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Kelly’s father owned a pontoon boat that, in high school, had been off limits.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Use it, tell them about your dietary needs and ask if you can be accommodated beyond a baked potato.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Bulky luggage like bicycles and sports equipment is also easily accommodated on the train.—
Jenn Rice,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Reformation’s possibilities, as well as its limits, cannot be grasped without an understanding of the Peasants’ War as the giant trauma at its center.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Having fully grasped Prodigy’s manipulations, Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and the hybrids weaponize their synth bodies, along with her nifty new ability to command Xenomorphs, to seize control of Neverland.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Held.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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