Synonyms of hold

hold 1 of 2

verb

ˈhōld 

1

as in to grip

to have or keep in one's hands

this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grip
• clench
• clutch
• grab
• carry
• take
• hold on to
• cradle
• cling (to)
• handle
• snatch
• capture
• hang on to
• seize
• grasp
• catch
• trap
• hook
• hug
• feel
• grapple
• finger
• land
• clasp
• snap (up)
• embrace
• bear
• nail
• bag
• nab
• snare
• corral
• paw
• latch (on or onto)
• collar

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• give
• hand
• drop
• deliver
• relinquish
• yield
• render
• unclasp
• release
• cede
• unhand
• give up
• turn over
• hand over
• hand out

2

as in to keep

to continue to have in one's possession or power

she, and she alone, held the keys to the mysterious chest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• keep
• retain
• preserve
• possess
• have
• save
• withhold
• reserve
• protect
• conserve
• hold on to
• enjoy
• guard
• own
• hang on to
• manage
• control
• boast
• detain
• rule
• direct
• cherish
• treasure
• command
• cling (to)
• harbor
• bear
• hug

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• relinquish
• yield
• release
• give
• surrender
• give up
• abandon
• drop
• contribute
• donate
• hand over
• dump
• discard
• cede
• lose
• reject
• decline
• repudiate
• hand out
• spurn

3

as in to think

to have as an opinion

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• think
• believe
• guess
• consider
• imagine
• figure
• feel
• deem
• suppose
• conceive
• judge
• allow
• perceive
• esteem
• reckon
• accept
• assume
• rely
• regard
• view
• depend
• trust
• presume
• infer
• conclude
• presuppose
• deduce
• surmise

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• doubt
• suspect
• question
• reject
• distrust
• discredit
• mistrust
• disbelieve

4

as in to contain

to have within

the mysterious chest held an ancient book on magic spells and potions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contain
• boast
• house
• bear
• take
• fit
• accommodate
• encompass
• enclose
• case
• encase
• shelter
• harbor
• lodge

5

as in to have

to keep in one's mind or heart

still held her close to his heart, though they had long parted

Synonyms & Similar Words

• have
• retain
• cherish
• keep
• entertain
• harbor
• maintain
• cultivate
• carry
• bear
• hold on to
• sustain
• nurse
• remember
• preserve
• hang on to
• foster
• nurture
• hug
• support
• treasure
• stick (to)
• cling (to)
• cleave (to)
• fixate (on or upon)
• brood (about or over)
• obsess (about or over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forget
• ignore
• drop
• refuse
• deny
• disregard
• reject
• overlook
• neglect
• decline
• abandon
• repudiate
• scorn
• give up
• quit
• renounce
• discard
• forsake
• part (with)
• erase
• desert
• disdain
• throw out
• abjure
• expunge

6

as in to retain

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

• have
• retain
• own
• possess
• enjoy
• keep
• command
• carry
• withhold
• reserve
• rejoice in
• bear
• boast
• sport
• show off

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• want
• lack
• relinquish
• yield
• abandon
• renounce
• surrender
• discard
• dump
• need
• require
• reject
• cede
• disclaim
• hand over
• decline
• repudiate
• disown
• spurn

7

as in to accommodate

to make or have room for

the couple needed to rent a hall that would hold 300 people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accommodate
• seat
• take
• fit
• contain
• carry
• encompass
• enclose
• house
• enfold
• harbor

8

as in to grasp

to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms

please hold my arm on these slippery stairs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grasp
• take
• grip
• clasp
• catch
• lay hold of
• clench
• hang on to
• clutch
• hold on (to)
• snatch
• seize
• cling (to)
• nab

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drop
• release
• liberate
• free
• discharge
• give
• pass
• deliver
• relinquish
• hand
• transfer
• transmit
• entrust
• turn over
• hand over
• unhand

9

as in to consider

to think of in a particular way

held to be the best blueberry pies in the state

Synonyms & Similar Words

• consider
• regard
• call
• count
• view
• believe
• look (on or upon)
• account
• feel
• think
• set down
• rate
• take for
• deem
• reckon
• esteem
• imagine
• sense
• conceive
• fancy

10

as in to regulate

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contain
• regulate
• keep
• control
• curb
• restrain
• measure
• stifle
• suppress
• check
• tame
• govern
• constrain
• inhibit
• rule
• stop
• pull in
• swallow
• rein (in)
• bridle
• repress
• interrupt
• hold back
• strangle
• choke (back)
• smother
• impede
• hinder
• squelch
• block
• obstruct
• arrest
• hamper
• sink
• mince
• silence
• muffle
• pocket
• bottle (up)
• handcuff
• muzzle
• gag

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lose
• loosen
• liberate
• loose
• express
• take out
• unleash
• vent
• air

11

as in to aim

to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal

held the camera on the actor throughout the scene

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aim
• cast
• set
• direct
• bend
• head
• steer
• train
• focus
• pinpoint
• level
• sight
• concentrate
• face
• bear
• orient
• incline

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deflect
• divert
• avert
• curve
• shunt
• detour
• sidetrack
• rechannel

hold

2 of 2

noun

1

as in grip

the act or manner of holding

make sure you have a firm hold on the chain saw before you turn it on

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grip
• grasp
• clasp
• clench
• handhold
• leverage
• grab
• purchase
• grapple
• handgrip
• anchorage
• foothold
• hug
• seizure
• embrace
• footing
• toehold
• clinch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• release
• relinquishment

2

as in stronghold

a structure or place from which one can resist attack

the ruins of an ancient Roman hold

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stronghold
• fortress
• bastion
• citadel
• fort
• fortification
• castle
• parapet
• rampart
• bunker
• redoubt
• fastness
• bulwark
• breastwork
• battlement
• earthwork
• garrison house
• embattlement
• dugout
• blockhouse
• casbah
• alcazar

3

as in sway

the right or means to command or control others

the government has no hold over where we live and work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sway
• control
• power
• dominion
• reign
• grip
• authority
• arm
• command
• clutch
• jurisdiction
• sovereignty
• rein(s)
• death grip
• pull
• mastery
• influence
• leverage
• privilege
• voice
• dominance
• management
• clout
• right
• weight
• direction
• importance
• prerogative
• supremacy
• predominance
• moment
• eminence
• imperium

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• impotence
• powerlessness
• weakness
• helplessness
• impotency

4

as in contact

the state or fact of being able to exchange information regarding one's current situation

I worry that I won't be able to get hold of you in an emergency

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contact
• touch
• communication
• communion
• intercourse
• commerce
• intercommunication

5

as in jail

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

upon hearing the guilty verdict, the accused realized that he would lie in that godforsaken hold for the remainder of his life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jail
• prison
• penitentiary
• pen
• brig
• can
• stir
• lockup
• cooler
• hock
• jug
• big house
• slam
• stockade
• coop
• clink
• calaboose
• joint
• cage
• jailhouse
• bastille
• pokey
• slammer
• guardroom
• bridewell
• hoosegow
• tank
• tolbooth
• nick
• bull pen
• keep
• quod
• cell
• dungeon
• ward
• concentration camp
• hole
• work camp
• block
• labor camp
• prison camp
• guardhouse
• glasshouse
• stalag
• reform school
• training school
• hulk(s)
• gulag
• reformatory
• oubliette

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

6

as in understanding

the knowledge gained from the process of coming to know or understand something

I need to get hold of the situation before planning a course of action

Synonyms & Similar Words

• understanding
• grasp
• appreciation
• perception
• grip
• comprehension
• awareness
• apprehension
• absorption
• uptake
• percipience
• digestion
• conception
• assimilation
• consciousness
• realization
• visualization
• enlightenment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• incomprehension
• misunderstanding
• misperception
• misinterpretation
• noncomprehension
• misapprehension
• miscomprehension

7

as in imprisonment

the state of being held in lawful custody

a suspected terrorist who was abducted at an airport and put in hold at an undisclosed location

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imprisonment
• detention
• incarceration
• captivity
• confinement
• capture
• internment
• detainer
• arrest
• detainment
• pinch
• collar
• immurement
• seizure
• restraint
• arrestment
• bust
• entrapment
• apprehension
• enchainment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• release
• discharge
• freedom
• liberation
• emancipation

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hold different from other verbs like it?

The words accommodate and contain are common synonyms of hold. While all three words mean "to have or be capable of having within," hold implies the capacity of containing or the usual or permanent function of containing or keeping.

the bookcase will hold all my textbooks

When is it sensible to use accommodate instead of hold?

The words accommodate and hold are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, accommodate stresses holding without crowding or inconvenience.

the hall can accommodate 500 people

When would contain be a good substitute for hold?

While the synonyms contain and hold are close in meaning, contain implies the actual presence of a specified substance or quantity within something.

the can contains a quart of oil

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hold

Verb

Misreads of license plates leading to innocent people being held at gunpoint and in one case attacked by a K-9 stirred up further concern, said Max Isaacs, director of law and policy at the New York University Policing Project. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026

He was surrounded by family, twelve sets of hands holding his lifeless body, sending him onward with heartache and love and stunned disbelief. — Dr. Lucy McBride, Time, 8 Aug. 2026

Noun

The standards say a person may not be held in a hold room for more than 12 hours. — Vera Lucia Pappaterra, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026

Hilton has reportedly been placed under a 72-hour psychiatric hold. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing hold

• get hold of
• hold a brief for
• hold a candle to
• hold back
• hold down
• hold forth
• hold off (on)
• hold on
• hold on to
• hold one's breath
• hold one's horses
• hold one's peace
• hold one's tongue
• hold out
• hold over
• hold to
• hold up
• hold water
• hold with
• lay hold of
• take hold
• take hold (of)