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 clasp, clench, grapple, grasp, grip, handgrip, handhold Related Words anchorage, leverage, purchase; grab, seizure; foothold, footing, toehold; clinch, embrace, hug Near Antonyms release, relinquishment

2 a structure or place from which one can resist attack the ruins of an ancient Roman hold Synonyms bastion, castle, citadel, fastness, fortification, fortress, fort, redoubt, strongholdRelated Words 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 arm, authority, clutch, command, control, death grip, dominion, grip, power, mastery, reign, rein(s), swayRelated Words clout, influence, leverage, pull, voice, weight; jurisdiction; direction, management; dominance, imperium, predominance, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy; prerogative, privilege, right; eminence, importance, momentNear Antonyms helplessness, weaknessAntonyms 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 communication, contact, touchRelated Words 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 bastille, big house [slang], bridewell, brig, calaboose, can, clink [slang], cooler, coop, guardroom, hock, jail, hoosegow, jailhouse, joint [slang], jug, lockup, nick [British slang], pen, penitentiary, pokey [slang], prison, quod [British slang], slam, slammer, stir [slang], stockade, tolbooth [Scottish]Related Words 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 schoolNear Antonyms 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 appreciation, apprehension, grasp, grip, comprehension, perception, percipience, understandingRelated Words absorption, assimilation, digestion, uptake; conception, visualization; awareness, consciousness, enlightenment, realizationNear Antonyms misapprehension, miscomprehension, misinterpretation, misperception, misunderstandingAntonyms 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 detainer, detainment, detention, immurement, imprisonment, incarcerationRelated Words captivity, confinement, internment; apprehension, arrest, arrestment, bust [slang], collar, pinch; capture, entrapment, seizure; enchainment, restraintNear Antonyms emancipation, freedom, liberationAntonyms discharge, release

1 to have or keep in one's hands this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder Synonyms clench, cling (to), clutch, grip Related Words 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 hang on to, hold on to Near Antonyms 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 one's possession or power she, and she alone, held the keys to the mysterious chest Synonyms keep, reserve, retain, withholdRelated Words conserve, guard, preserve, protect, save; boast, enjoy, have, own, possess; command, control, detain, direct, manage, rule; bear, harbor; cherish, cling (to), hug, treasureNear Antonyms abandon, cede, drop; contribute, donate, give, hand out; discard, dump; decline, reject, repudiate, spurn; loseAntonyms 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 allow [chiefly Southern & Midland], conceive, consider, deem, esteem, feel, figure, guess, believe, imagine, judge, reckon [chiefly dialect], suppose, thinkRelated Words regard, view; accept, perceive; depend, rely, trust; assume, presume, presuppose, surmise; conclude, deduce, inferNear Antonyms 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 bear, boast, containRelated Words accommodate, fit, take; case, encase, enclose (also inclose), encompass; harbor, house, lodge, shelter

5 to keep in one's mind or heart still held her close to his heart, though they had long parted Synonyms bear, cherish, entertain, have, harbor, nurseRelated Words 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)Near Antonyms 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 one's own the same family has held this piece of land for over 300 years Synonyms command, enjoy, have, own, possess, retainRelated Words keep, reserve, withhold; bear, carry; boast, show off, sportNear Antonyms abandon, cede, disclaim, disown, hand over, relinquish, renounce, surrender, yield; discard, dump; decline, reject, repudiate, spurn; need, requireAntonyms lack, want

7 to make or have room for the couple needed to rent a hall that would hold 300 people Synonyms fit, accommodate, takeRelated Words 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 clasp, grasp, grip, takeRelated Words clench, cling (to), clutch, hold on (to); catch, nab, seize, snatchNear Antonyms 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 account, call, count, esteem, consider, look (on or upon), rate, reckon, regard, set down, viewRelated Words believe, deem, feel, sense, think; conceive, fancy, imagine

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 bridle, check, constrain, contain, curb, govern, control, inhibit, keep, measure, pull in, regulate, rein (in), restrain, rule, tameRelated Words 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, silenceNear Antonyms liberate, loose, loosen, unleash; air, express, take out, ventAntonyms lose

11 to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal held a gun on the store clerk and ordered him to empty the till Synonyms bend, cast, direct, head, aim, level, pinpoint, set, trainRelated Words sight; bear, face; concentrate, focus; incline, orient, steerNear Antonyms avert, curve, deflect, detour, divert, rechannel, shunt, sidetrack