1
as in ruling
a decision made by a court or tribunal regarding a case it has heard
the court's holding was based on an interpretation of the First Amendment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in possession
usually holdings plural
transportable items that one owns
the museum's holdings of ancient manuscripts are among the rarest in the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in clutching
to have or keep in one's hands
this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in keeping
to continue to have in one's possession or power
she, and she alone, held the keys to the mysterious chest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in thinking
to have as an opinion
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in containing
to have within
the mysterious chest held an ancient book on magic spells and potions
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5
as in having
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 owning
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
the same family has held this piece of land for over 100 years
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in accommodating
to make or have room for
the couple needed to rent a hall that would hold 300 people
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8
as in grasping
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
as in considering
to think of in a particular way
held to be the best blueberry pies in the state
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10
as in controlling
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in aiming
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal
held the camera on the actor throughout the scene
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of holding
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Her mother was among the first Black Century 21 brokers in Florida, and Johnson grew their family holdings into a multi-million-dollar portfolio.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 10 Sep. 2025
Pj Green
september 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
The charity, which Harry has been a patron of since 2007, is holding its celebration evening honoring young people who live with challenging and life-limiting conditions and marking the contributions of those who look after them, from parents to nursing staff and carers.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holding
Noun
He was flagged twice on the same series — to open the third quarter — for holding and a false start.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Her mother was among the first Black Century 21 brokers in Florida, and Johnson grew their family holdings into a multi-million-dollar portfolio.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Cabinets of hard drives holding thousands of terabytes of digital storage, worth millions of dollars, occupy only about 15% of the building.
—Pj Green
september 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
The charity, which Harry has been a patron of since 2007, is holding its celebration evening honoring young people who live with challenging and life-limiting conditions and marking the contributions of those who look after them, from parents to nursing staff and carers.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding
Noun
-
Plaintiffs, including people who benefited from the legal protections, urged the appeals court to endorse the district court ruling, which found that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem could not categorically end protections for these groups, but instead had to evaluate each case individually.—
Michael Casey,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
-
As Smith collected himself, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tried to challenge the ruling.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Still, the offense wasn’t flowing, and the unit had just given an extra possession to the Jaguars with an interception that led to a touchdown.—
Mike Kaye
September 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
During more than two hours of testimony, journalist Michael Shellenberger testified that sources had informed him that intelligence communities are in possession of numerous high-resolution photos and videos of the craft unlike any of the grainy imagery that has so far been declassified.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Harry clutching a red-hot doorknob, Marv taking a paint can to the face — right up to the gruesome sound effect, then had the music stand down for the sizzling or thwacking payoff.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Some are fantastical – think Shrimp Jesus – and some are believable at a quick glance – remember the little girl clutching a puppy in a boat during a flood?—
Adam Nemeroff,
The Conversation,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Outside of Seville, Thompson, Lyles, and Bednarek keeping the Jamaica versus USA rivalry alive, the most notable observation of the race is that 50% of the finalists were from African nations, a strong feat for an event typically dominated by the aforementioned countries.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
While Hadden-Paton was unsuccessful in keeping his dapper suit, his costar, Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, confessed to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live!—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Football is exchanging ball control and patient build-up (like Emery has sought) for a more direct, forward-thinking approach once more.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Stop thinking 'offshore,' start building ecosystems.—
Kevin Cushnie,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In February, a fire destroyed a South Korean budget carrier Air Busan plane, which subsequently prohibited carry-on luggage containing portable chargers from being stored in overhead bins.—
Suzanne Rowan Kelleher,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
On DSPs and at digital retailers, the 23 new songs merely comprise disc one of Swag II, with a second disc also containing the 21 songs originally released as Swag the First.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Devers, who is starting at first on Saturday, has fared well at first base despite having no experience at the position prior to this season.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Despite having a reputation for being at the cutting-edge of technological trends, cash is king in Japan.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Investors have generally shied away from owning pieces of hedge funds on the other hand, due to the more volatile nature of the business, but with some funds producing steady returns and locking up assets for longer periods of time, Millennium could be starting a trend.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The top reason Americans cite for owning a firearm is personal protection (72 percent), by a wide margin.—
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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