hold down the fort
idiom
US
: to be in charge of a place while the person who is usually in charge is away
You can stay here and hold down the fort while I go to the store.
Examples of hold down the fort in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If the 39-year-old veteran can hold down the fort at left tackle, that would be a boost for a team that had its plan to start rookie Teven Jenkins at the position unravel before training camp began.
—
Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 7 Sep. 2021
Dan Hellie filled in for him on DirecTV, while Scott Hanson continued to hold down the fort on the RedZone available on other platforms.
—Phil Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, 19 Oct. 2020
The Frogs must search for an offensive flow and hold down the fort while Miles rehabs his injury.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2023
As Baylin poured her heart and soul into the record, Followill, 43, helped hold down the fort, acting as head of the at-home cheerleading squad that also includes the couple's daughter Violet, 9, and son Oliver, 4.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2022
That leaves Brown, Ceyair Wright and a band of unproven outside corners to hold down the fort Saturday.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2022
Pa works in England as a joiner, gone for weeks at a time, while Ma tries to hold down the fort.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Nov. 2021
In the meantime, Chubb and Johnson will hold down the fort.
—cleveland, 27 Oct. 2021
Thinking their online ski business would slow down for the holiday, Jones and Dannwolf (now husband and wife) decided to spend their long Thanksgiving weekend out of the country, leaving their only employee, Ofer Barniv, to hold down the fort.
—Ryan Wichelns, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2017
Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 7 Sep. 2021
Dan Hellie filled in for him on DirecTV, while Scott Hanson continued to hold down the fort on the RedZone available on other platforms.
—Phil Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, 19 Oct. 2020
The Frogs must search for an offensive flow and hold down the fort while Miles rehabs his injury.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2023
As Baylin poured her heart and soul into the record, Followill, 43, helped hold down the fort, acting as head of the at-home cheerleading squad that also includes the couple's daughter Violet, 9, and son Oliver, 4.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2022
That leaves Brown, Ceyair Wright and a band of unproven outside corners to hold down the fort Saturday.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2022
Pa works in England as a joiner, gone for weeks at a time, while Ma tries to hold down the fort.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Nov. 2021
In the meantime, Chubb and Johnson will hold down the fort.
—cleveland, 27 Oct. 2021
Thinking their online ski business would slow down for the holiday, Jones and Dannwolf (now husband and wife) decided to spend their long Thanksgiving weekend out of the country, leaving their only employee, Ofer Barniv, to hold down the fort.
—Ryan Wichelns, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold down the fort.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hold down the fort
Cite this Entry
“Hold down the fort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20down%20the%20fort. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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