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hold

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of hold

1 the act or manner of holding

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

clasp, clench, grapple, grasp, grip, handgrip, handhold
Words Related to hold

anchorage, leverage, purchase

grab, seizure

foothold, footing, toehold

clinch, embrace, hug
Near Antonyms of hold

release, relinquishment

2 a structure or place from which one can resist attack

  • the ruins of an ancient Roman hold
Synonyms of hold

bastion, castle, citadel, fastness, fort, fortification, fortress, redoubt, stronghold
Words Related to hold

battlement, breastwork, bulwark, earthwork, embattlement, parapet, rampart

bunker, dugout

blockhouse, garrison house

alcazar, casbah (also kasbah)

3 the right or means to command or control others

  • the government has no hold over where we live and work
Synonyms of hold

arm, authority, clutch, command, control, death grip, dominion, grip, mastery, power, reign, rein(s), sway
Words Related to hold

clout, influence, leverage, pull, voice, weight

jurisdiction

direction, management

dominance, imperium, predominance, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy

prerogative, privilege, right

eminence, importance, moment
Near Antonyms of hold

helplessness, weakness
Antonyms of hold

impotence, impotency, powerlessness

4 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 of hold

communication, contact, touch
Words Related to hold

commerce, communion, intercommunication, intercourse

5 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 of hold

bastille, big house [slang], bridewell, brig, calaboose, can, clink [slang], cooler, coop, guardroom, hock, hoosegow, jail, jailhouse, joint [slang], jug, lockup, nick [British slang], pen, penitentiary, pokey [slang], prison, quod [British slang], slam, slammer, stir [slang], stockade, tolbooth [Scottish]
Words Related to hold

bull pen, cage, cell, hole, tank

block, ward

glasshouse [British], guardhouse, hulk(s)

concentration camp, gulag, labor camp, prison camp, stalag, work camp

dungeon, keep, oubliette

reformatory, reform school, training school
Near Antonyms of hold

outside

6 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 of hold

appreciation, apprehension, comprehension, grasp, grip, perception, percipience, understanding
Words Related to hold

absorption, assimilation, digestion, uptake

conception, visualization

awareness, consciousness, enlightenment, realization
Near Antonyms of hold

misapprehension, miscomprehension, misinterpretation, misperception, misunderstanding
Antonyms of hold

incomprehension, noncomprehension

7 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 of hold

detainer, detainment, detention, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration
Words Related to hold

captivity, confinement, internment

apprehension, arrest, arrestment, bust [slang], collar, pinch

capture, entrapment, seizure

enchainment, restraint
Near Antonyms of hold

emancipation, freedom, liberation
Antonyms of hold

discharge, release

hold

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of hold

1 to have or keep in oneʼs hands

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

clench, cling (to), clutch, grip
Words Related to hold

bear, carry

bag, capture, catch, collar, corral, grab, grapple, hook, land, latch (on or onto), nab, nail, seize, snap (up), snare, snatch, take, trap

feel, finger, handle, paw

clasp, embrace, grasp, hug

cradle
Phrases Synonymous with hold

hang on to, hold on to
Near Antonyms of hold

drop, give, hand, unclasp, unhand

cede, deliver, give up, hand out, hand over, release, relinquish, render, turn over, yield

2 to continue to have in oneʼs possession or power

  • she, and she alone, held the keys to the mysterious chest
Synonyms of hold

keep, reserve, retain, withhold
Words Related to hold

conserve, guard, preserve, protect, save

boast, enjoy, have, own, possess

command, control, detain, direct, manage, rule

bear, harbor

cherish, cling (to), hug, treasure
Phrases Synonymous with hold

hang on to, hold on to
Near Antonyms of hold

abandon, cede, drop

contribute, donate, give, hand out

discard, dump

decline, reject, repudiate, spurn

lose
Antonyms of hold

give up, hand over, release, relinquish, surrender, yield

3 to have as an opinion

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

allow [chiefly Southern & Midland], believe, conceive, consider, deem, esteem, feel, figure, guess, imagine, judge, reckon [chiefly dialect], suppose, think
Words Related to hold

regard, view

accept, perceive

depend, rely, trust

assume, presume, presuppose, surmise

conclude, deduce, infer
Near Antonyms of hold

distrust, doubt, mistrust, question, suspect

disbelieve, discredit, reject

4 to have within

  • the mysterious chest held an ancient book on magic spells and potions
Synonyms of hold

bear, boast, contain
Words Related to hold

accommodate, fit, take

case, encase, enclose (also inclose), encompass

harbor, house, lodge, shelter

5 to keep in oneʼs mind or heart

  • still held her close to his heart, though they had long parted
Synonyms of hold

bear, cherish, entertain, harbor, have, nurse
Words Related to hold

cultivate, foster, nurture, support, sustain

carry, keep, maintain, preserve, remember, retain, treasure

cleave (to), cling (to), hug, stick (to)

brood (about or over), fixate (on or upon), obsess (about or over)
Phrases Synonymous with hold

hang on to, hold on to
Near Antonyms of hold

disregard, drop, forget, ignore, neglect, overlook

abjure, decline, deny, disdain, refuse, reject, repudiate, scorn

abandon, desert, discard, forsake, give up, part (with), quit, renounce, throw out

erase, expunge

6 to keep, control, or experience as oneʼs own

  • the same family has held this piece of land for over 100 years
Synonyms of hold

command, enjoy, have, own, possess, retain
Words Related to hold

keep, reserve, withhold

bear, carry

boast, show off, sport
Phrases Synonymous with hold

rejoice in
Near Antonyms of hold

abandon, cede, disclaim, disown, hand over, relinquish, renounce, surrender, yield

discard, dump

decline, reject, repudiate, spurn

need, require
Antonyms of hold

lack, want

7 to make or have room for

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

accommodate, fit, take
Words Related to hold

carry, contain, seat

enclose (also inclose), encompass, enfold

harbor, house

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

  • please hold my arm on these slippery stairs
Synonyms of hold

clasp, grasp, grip, take
Words Related to hold

clench, cling (to), clutch, hold on (to)

catch, nab, seize, snatch
Phrases Synonymous with hold

hang on to, lay hold of
Near Antonyms of hold

discharge, drop, free, liberate, release

deliver, entrust (also intrust), give, hand, hand over, pass, relinquish, transfer, transmit, turn over, unhand

9 to think of in a particular way

  • held to be the best blueberry pies in the state
Synonyms of hold

account, call, consider, count, esteem, look (on or upon), rate, reckon, regard, set down, view
Words Related to hold

believe, deem, feel, sense, think

conceive, fancy, imagine
Phrases Synonymous with hold

take for

10 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 of hold

bridle, check, constrain, contain, control, curb, govern, inhibit, keep, measure, pull in, regulate, rein (in), restrain, rule, tame
Words Related to hold

bottle (up), choke (back), hold back, mince, muffle, pocket, repress, sink, smother, squelch, stifle, strangle, suppress, swallow

arrest, interrupt, stop

block, hamper, handcuff, hinder, impede, obstruct

gag, muzzle, silence
Near Antonyms of hold

liberate, loose, loosen, unleash

air, express, take out, vent
Antonyms of hold

lose

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

  • held the camera on the actor throughout the scene
Synonyms of hold

aim, bend, cast, direct, head, level, pinpoint, set, train
Words Related to hold

sight

bear, face

concentrate, focus

incline, orient, steer
Near Antonyms of hold

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

Synonym Discussion of hold

contain, hold, accommodate mean to have or be capable of having within. contain implies the actual presence of a specified substance or quantity within something.
    • the can contains a quart of oil
hold implies the capacity of containing or the usual or permanent function of containing or keeping.
    • the bookcase will hold all my textbooks
accommodate stresses holding without crowding or inconvenience.
    • the hall can accommodate 500 people

Learn More about hold

  1. Dictionary: Definition of hold Spanish Central: Translation of hold Nglish: Translation of hold for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hold for Arabic speakers

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