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
The clip goes on to explain that Durk has always been a vivid storyteller with his music, and his creative art shouldn’t be held against him in a court of law.
—
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 30 Apr. 2025
The witness said the driver tried to run but was chased down and held against a fence for about 10 minutes until police arrived.
—Harshita Meenaktshi and Chris Helgren, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
Many of the students suing say their charges shouldn’t be held against them because they were dropped or expunged.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
From Moscow’s perspective, strengthened U.S. missile defenses could undermine the Russian nuclear deterrent: the United States, expecting its defenses to hold against nuclear retaliation, might no longer consider a first nuclear strike on Russia to carry an unacceptably high risk.
—Rose Gottemoeller, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2025
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Michael Saponara, Billboard, 30 Apr. 2025
The witness said the driver tried to run but was chased down and held against a fence for about 10 minutes until police arrived.
—Harshita Meenaktshi and Chris Helgren, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
Many of the students suing say their charges shouldn’t be held against them because they were dropped or expunged.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
From Moscow’s perspective, strengthened U.S. missile defenses could undermine the Russian nuclear deterrent: the United States, expecting its defenses to hold against nuclear retaliation, might no longer consider a first nuclear strike on Russia to carry an unacceptably high risk.
—Rose Gottemoeller, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 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 4 May. 2025.
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