HOLDS Synonyms: 412 Similar and Opposite Words

holds 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hold

as in grips

to have or keep in one's hands this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder

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Relevance

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as in retains

to continue to have in one's possession or power she, and she alone, held the keys to the mysterious chest

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as in thinks

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

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as in contains

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

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as in has

to keep in one's mind or heart still held her close to his heart, though they had long parted

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as in owns

to keep, control, or experience as one's own the same family has held this piece of land for over 100 years

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as in accommodates

to make or have room for the couple needed to rent a hall that would hold 300 people

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as in grasps

to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms please hold my arm on these slippery stairs

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as in considers

to think of in a particular way held to be the best blueberry pies in the state

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as in regulates

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

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as in aims

to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal held the camera on the actor throughout the scene

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holds

2 of 2

noun

plural of hold

as in clasps

the act or manner of holding make sure you have a firm hold on the chain saw before you turn it on

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as in strongholds

a structure or place from which one can resist attack the ruins of an ancient Roman hold

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as in controls

the right or means to command or control others the government has no hold over where we live and work

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as in jails

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

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outsides

as in understandings

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

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as in imprisonments

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

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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 holds

Verb

The American museum holds about 160 pieces of Schlumberger jewelry and 30 objects that belonged to his longtime patrons and friends Paul and Bunny Mellon, as well as hundreds of drawings the designer donated toward the end of his life. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 Critics embraced the movie, which holds an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026 While Valadao holds a commanding cash advantage, Villegas has raised nearly twice as much as his opponent in the last filing period. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026 Madonna’s Truth or Dare era holds a special place for the pro. — Jackie Fields, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026 Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice holds the NFL record with a catch in 274 straight games. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026 At one moment in the film, Rosario is with his young sons at the dinner table and holds a bundle of sticks in his hands to illustrate the importance of worker solidarity. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026 Swift’s four Best Direction VMA wins holds the record, ahead of David Fincher’s three. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026 Simultaneously a tumor and a light source, the refulgent motif holds grief and release. — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Noun

JPMorgan’s call matches the Wall Street consensus, where 28 of 41 analysts rate the stock a buy or strong buy, with 11 holds, LSEG data shows. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026 Before moving it to cloud servers, test whether a searchable archive can meet access and retention needs, including legal holds. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026 The duo walks away from this skirmish, though not unscathed, as Samjad quickly and economically sets up a blistering saga of stylish reprisals with no holds barred. — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026 Two more holds for Zverev later, and Shelton hadn’t broken the German’s serve in 63 service games. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026 While holds are still being converted to orders, buyers estimate that this season’s upfront average should come in at around $52,000 per unit, which translates to a 10-year pricing decline of -69%. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026 The second of those holds negated a first down and eventually forced them to punt. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 The holds came as three patients in Novartis trials of the CAR-T rap-cel died from a dangerous immune system reaction, Endpoints adds. — Andrew Joseph, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026 There aren’t proper holds, just shallow dishes for the hands and feet. — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holds

Verb

The Mercyenforcer grips the handle of his light in his bare hand to look into my other eye.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
New Orleans is facing an unusual weather combination as Tropical Storm Bertha moves along the northern Gulf Coast while dangerous heat grips the region.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 22 July 2026

Definition of grips

Verb

Public Clothing retains the Derek Lam brand, which continues to be designed by creative director Robert Rodriguez.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Pouch cell retains 78% capacity Researchers also built a small, single-layer pouch cell to demonstrate the chemistry beyond the coin cells typically used in early-stage battery research.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of retains

Verb

The simple website contains a page that names the seven defendants in Jane Doe’s suit and contains blank boxes that indicate that photos of them will be uploaded —and potentially pages for the men who are facing accusations.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Further back, an open, airy great room with pocketing glass doors opening to the backyard contains a fireside living room, casual dining area, and kitchen outfitted with white oak cabinetry, two islands, and a walk-in pantry.

— Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of contains

Verb

The brain’s surface has ridges and valleys, and CTE tangles are found in the depths of those valleys, called the cortical sulci, and surround blood vessels.

— Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
Packers lose lineman Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Zach Bako-Bewele has a torn patellar tendon and expects to miss the rest of the season.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of has

Verb

Early last year, the telecom mogul John Malone tapped Derek Chang to be the new CEO of Liberty Media, the holding company that owns Formula 1.

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
Dos Hombres was founded in 2019 by the former Breaking Bad stars, who partnered with maestro mezcalero Gregorio Velasco to produce their mezcal expressions (the brand is now backed by Constellation Brands, which owns a minority stake).

— Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of owns

Verb

The nearly 100-year-old route accommodates all budgets and travel interests, an à la carte menu of nature, food, history and recreation.

— David G. Allan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Its flexible modular design accommodates up to 1,000 kilometers of range and adapts easily to both charging and battery swapping.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026