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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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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
-
The princess, who shares her father's ginger locks, wore her hair long and loose and clutched a big bunch of red helium balloons.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
Knives are clutched, teeth are clenched, and a desperate Russian ex-pat yells loud enough for their long-dead ancestors to hear all the way back in the motherland.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The rooms The eight villas—of which four have views of the Philippine Sea and the ‘Naked Island’ sandbank on the horizon—have largely retained their pre-typhoon blueprint and wood-and-wicker decor.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
-
The new map retained only one district that would have been considered competitive in the 2024 presidential election.—
Ashley Wu,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Adam Alfia, the founder and CEO, believed that feedback in the moment has the advantages already mentioned.—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
Pricey dental work Recovered from an early 19th-century burial in the 3rd Order of Our Lady of Carmo hospital in Porto, the prosthetic is believed to have sat in the mouth of a young female adult, though researchers could not confirm.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
On April 21, 2025, employees at an apartment complex where Turner worked as a maintenance worker reportedly found a tool bag in a storage room that contained 790 grams of fentanyl and one kilogram of cocaine, court records show.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
-
This speeds up the thawing process while keeping the fruit contained.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
But most of the research being done was carried out by people who had the university equivalent of a day job.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Beaches had a long road to Broadway.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The 11-acre campus in West Hollywood was originally built in 1912 and acquired in 1918 by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as Pickford-Fairbanks Studios, becoming the first studio lot owned and operated by a woman.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
-
Four Graces is currently owned by Bill Foley and his family and produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Customers were accommodated on other flights.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Organizers ultimately expanded several booths at the request of returning exhibitors, further tightening the number of galleries that could be accommodated.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
And the lecture hall on that campus now features a large, ornate mural of a soccer ball being grasped by the hands of two people — freshly painted by the 2004 Morningside graduate as the city of Inglewood prepares to host eight World Cup games at SoFi Stadium starting next month.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
American has grasped that this will be a tournament when travel is experienced through friction as much as glamour, and that a brand which removes the challenges is remembered differently.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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