Synonyms of hold
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as in to grip 
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as in to keep
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as in to think
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as in to contain
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as in to have
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as in to retain
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as in to accommodate
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as in to grasp
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as in to consider
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as in to regulate
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as in to aim
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as in grip
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as in stronghold
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as in sway
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as in contact
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as in jail
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as in understanding
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as in imprisonment
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1
as in to grip
to have or keep in one's hands
this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder
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2
as in to keep
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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3
as in to think
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 to have
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 to retain
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 to grasp
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 to regulate
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 to aim
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal
held the camera on the actor throughout the scene
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as in grip
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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2
as in stronghold
a structure or place from which one can resist attack
the ruins of an ancient Roman hold
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as in sway
the right or means to command or control others
the government has no hold over where we live and work
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4
as in contact
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
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5
as in jail
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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as in understanding
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 imprisonment
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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of hold
Daryl Perry, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024
Young people in central and southern Gaza began holding market sit-ins this month.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2024
Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 19 Nov. 2024
However, in 2023, the biopic was reportedly put on hold at Universal Pictures for Madonna to focus on her global Celebration Tour.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hold 
Verb
Dimes hold a special meaning to the Indianapolis woman, a sentiment spurred by her late brother, Ted, who would often give the shiny coins to her as a child.
—Daryl Perry, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024
Young people in central and southern Gaza began holding market sit-ins this month.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
President-elect Donald Trump's Nov. 26 sentencing date in his New York hush money case is on hold as prosecutors face a Tuesday deadline to advise the judge on how to proceed in light of Trump's election victory.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 19 Nov. 2024
However, in 2023, the biopic was reportedly put on hold at Universal Pictures for Madonna to focus on her global Celebration Tour.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hold
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold
Verb
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For those eager to revisit or catch up on the gripping saga, seasons one through three are available to stream now, exclusively on BET+.Okla Jones, Essence, 4 Nov. 2024
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Hell or High Water (2016) — A gripping modern Western about two brothers who resort to bank robbery to save their family ranch.David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
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The Sharks’ prospect pool was also largely devoid of high-end talent, with the organization trading away multiple first-round draft picks throughout the 2010s for short-term solutions to keep the championship window open.Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
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The engine of a good detective novel is the same engine that drives a good literary novel: There’s a mystery at the heart of all good stories that keeps the reader turning pages.Erik Pedersen, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
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Kempton was basically a liberal, but WFB loved to publish him in National Review — which rubbed some people the wrong way: people who thought of NR as more of a political enterprise than a magazine.Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 27 Nov. 2024
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She was thought to be in the Green Canyon Way Trail area of Welches in Oregon, according to the sheriff's department.Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2024
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Larger starter kits frequently contain parts for related projects, and buying one can often be easier than compiling an extensive shopping list.Bob Beacham, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024
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The mines are contained in a $275 million package of new military assistance announced by the Biden administration Wednesday.Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 21 Nov. 2024
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Australia’s defense spending exceeds the two-percent threshold and the country has big increases planned for the future, but defense experts in Australia have warned that these increases are all scheduled several years from now, which may be too late to deter Chinese belligerence in the near term.Michael Green, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2024
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Emma’s always on her phone, smoking, or having tea.Emma Soren, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
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In some good news, Nvidia is upgrading the Priority tier for GeForce Now to support a higher display resolution while retaining the $9.99 cost.Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
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In America, no incumbent party with presidential approval ratings as low as Biden’s has ever retained power.Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But perhaps her biggest challenge, besides working under Scott’s famously tight shooting schedule, was accommodating the director’s very specific vision for characters like Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Lucius’s estranged mother who, now married to Acacius, is living under house arrest.Elaina Patton, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
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Kids are just as accommodating, or at least as flexible, with their push notification options.Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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Unlike the clawed animals that also climb, primates rely on opposable toes and thumbs to grasp with whole feet and hands.Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 21 Nov. 2024
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Ty still doesn’t fully grasp what happened to him, and why.Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, 13 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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