1
as in ruling
a decision made by a court or tribunal regarding a case it has heard
the court's holding was based on an interpretation of the First Amendment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in possession
usually holdings plural
transportable items that one owns
the museum's holdings of ancient manuscripts are among the rarest in the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in clutching
to have or keep in one's hands
this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in keeping
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 thinking
to have as an opinion
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in containing
to have within
the mysterious chest held an ancient book on magic spells and potions
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in having
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 owning
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
as in accommodating
to make or have room for
the couple needed to rent a hall that would hold 300 people
Synonyms & Similar Words
8
as in grasping
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in considering
to think of in a particular way
held to be the best blueberry pies in the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
10
as in controlling
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in aiming
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of holding
Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
Hedge fund Voss Capital sent a note to investors urging Sempra to separate Oncor, the Texas utility in which Sempra has majority ownership, from the rest of the Fortune 500 company’s holdings.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Jim said Dell's results reinforce his bullishness on Club holding Nvidia , given the two companies' close partnership in powering AI systems for hyperscalers and enterprise customers.
—Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holding
Noun
The candidates also piled on Steyer for his past investments in fossil fuels and private prisons, and for his current holdings in offshore private equity funds, accusing him of trying to buy his way into office.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026
Hedge fund Voss Capital sent a note to investors urging Sempra to separate Oncor, the Texas utility in which Sempra has majority ownership, from the rest of the Fortune 500 company’s holdings.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
Verb
Since then, the park has expanded the number of ticket tiers and steadily raised prices on the top end while holding the lowest price steady.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Jim said Dell's results reinforce his bullishness on Club holding Nvidia , given the two companies' close partnership in powering AI systems for hyperscalers and enterprise customers.
—Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding
Noun
-
Democrats asked whether that includes federal court orders, and Mullin responded that depends on whether a higher court overturns a ruling.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
The 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court, which will eliminate one of the two majority Black districts in Alabama, is expected to result in Republicans gaining one seat from the state in the House of Representatives in the upcoming midterm elections.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously said Roberts had a criminal history that included a narcotics possession offense.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
-
Oppenheimer, 35 of Cambridge, was arrested in July 2024 and pleaded guilty in January to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and two counts of wire fraud.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Marie-Paule had straight blond hair, cut in a bob with a clip on one side, and was clutching a miniature schoolbag.—
Annie Ernaux,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Martin, clutching a gun in his left hand, pulled the weapon behind his left leg.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Taken together, the two measures highlight a growing tension in a state that prides itself on stewardship of the environment, as policymakers aim to protect threatened or endangered animals while also keeping people, pets and livestock safe.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
-
Studies found little real difference, but the new patent was an effective tool for keeping generics at bay and continuing to collect monopoly profits.—
Wayne T Brough,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
When Quibi launched in April 2020 and went dark by December 2020, that failure caused a deep freeze among media companies thinking of launching short-form video content.—
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Another solution may simply be thinking about fertilizer differently, Biswas says.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
In the center, the team placed an artificial blue flower containing a sugary solution and let the bees explore it.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
But despite completing initiatives to remove SSNs and other sensitive personal data from its systems, the official said Columbia inadvertently missed a legacy database containing my SSN.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
But during the commonwealth’s rebuttal case, his then-acting supervisor denied having plans to meet with Banfield that day and said his other managers were out of town.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
-
One thing, too, that Sara and I talked about early on was having the crew and the musicians eat lunch together every day.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
For much of the 2020s, owning a home has felt like an automatic wealth generator for many American households.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
-
That company is listed on the Tarrant County property tax roll as owning a property in Mansfield.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
