held one's tongue

phrase

variants or held one's peace
Definition of held one's tonguenext
past tense of hold one's tongue
as in hushed
to stop talking There are times when it is more prudent to hold your tongue than to express your opinion.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Held one's tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20one%27s%20tongue. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!