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
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
The findings are part of a broader probe into Khamenei’s alleged overseas holdings, with a Bloomberg investigation estimating a portfolio spanning multiple countries and totaling roughly $138 million in assets across Europe and the Gulf, pending verification of full ownership structures.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Imagine the ants were holding the magnifying glass.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for holding
Noun
Scripps has a diverse set of holdings spanning local and national broadcast TV, streaming, digital and print.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
The findings are part of a broader probe into Khamenei’s alleged overseas holdings, with a Bloomberg investigation estimating a portfolio spanning multiple countries and totaling roughly $138 million in assets across Europe and the Gulf, pending verification of full ownership structures.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
In her experiment, McPherson and colleagues created a set-up holding human, mice and pig sperm cells in one part of the compartment and egg cells in the other, divided by a thin channel simulating the female reproductive tract.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Imagine the ants were holding the magnifying glass.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for holding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding
Noun
-
That motion is pending a ruling.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
-
However, even if the NCPC approves the plan, the project can’t move forward due to Leon’s ruling.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Heat’s zone worked on several second-half possessions, but Miami still allowed too many open threes -- and had too many defensive breakdowns -- when the game was decided in the fourth quarter.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Bush is charged with murder, home invasion and criminal possession of a firearm, and is being held in lieu of a $2 million court set bond.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When Barbara Walters started interviewing celebrities on her prime time specials for ABC in the 1970s, pearl-clutching journalistic purists were aghast.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Among his favorite methods of doing so are sitting in audience members’ laps, singing along to ’80s hits, clutching a giant prop baby bottle and doing pistol squats.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bulls players stopped keeping a keen eye on the standings after going winless in February.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Investors fear that the war will disrupt the Persian Gulf's energy industry for a long time, setting off a punishing wave of global inflation by keeping large amounts of oil and natural gas out of global markets.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Focus on the craft in front of you without thinking of its hypothetical audience.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But as these researchers are the first to admit, the difficulty of defining intelligence is as old as the study of thinking itself—and has plagued artificial intelligence as a field from its very earliest days.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Police found a small plastic bag containing crystal powder residue that officers suspected was meth or cocaine, according to an affidavit, the Los Angeles Times reported.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Workers discovered a grave containing human remains beneath tiles after part of the floor of St Peter and Paul Church subsided in February, triggering a race to identify the skeleton through DNA testing.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Videos on the Instagram page for the restaurant show a packed establishment late at night with young people having fun and drinking, with a long line outside.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Azimi said having Pahlavi as the head of Iran would bring democracy back to the country and end the humanitarian crisis there.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a court filing, the FCC has defended the Media Bureau approval, as well as its decision to grant Nexstar a waiver from a media ownership cap that limits any one entity from owning stations covering more than 39% of the country.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Together, these moves (along with owning a Popeyes restaurant franchise) show Megan’s ability to seamlessly blend music, branding, and pop culture into moments that capture attention, drive conversation…plus sales.—
Datwon Thomas,
VIBE.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
