hold against
phrasal verb
held against; holding against; holds against
: to use (something) as a reason to have a bad opinion of (someone)
He lied to her once, and she still holds it against him.
Nobody is going to hold it against you if you don't come.
Examples of hold against in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Maybe this is about the angst Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds against Cuba.
—
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The poor curator is copping it but it shouldn’t be held against him.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
In other words, did Ross assure him that it wouldn’t be held against him if Ewers struggled and Miami was blown out?
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
This voyeurism will later be held against Helm during the puritanical trend (big misunderstanding).
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold against
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U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The poor curator is copping it but it shouldn’t be held against him.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
In other words, did Ross assure him that it wouldn’t be held against him if Ewers struggled and Miami was blown out?
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
This voyeurism will later be held against Helm during the puritanical trend (big misunderstanding).
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold against
Cite this Entry
“Hold against.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20against. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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