hold
72
1.0
- noun
- /hoʊld/
- Deliberately, he took hold of her hand and drew her to a place beside him.
- grab hold
- lose hold
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Watch on YouTubeJust static grabbed hold of the plastic.
- Just static grabbed hold of the plastic.
- I guess take it, take a hold of it, you know?
Examples
-
You're not losing your hold on him, are you, Rebecca?
-
She shouted in surprise and grabbed a hold of my hand.
-
You gotta get a hold of yourself.
-
Oh, you really got a hold of that one.
-
I just caught hold of your coat.
-
So I got a hold of four big boxwoods.
-
Hannah shrugs and takes hold of his wrist, turning it to see the time.
Fiction book (1990) -
The apes each have a tight hold of individual sections of hanging vine.
Fiction book (1990) -
Holding the gaff in one hand, he reached down and took hold of the nearest pectoral fin.
Academic text (1997) -
He reached down and took a firm hold of the rope to steady himself.
Synonyms
140
1.0
A firm hold on something so it does not slip
132
8.2
A firm grip on something or a quick way to reach someone
59
1.1
A tight hold with the hand or arm on something
29
3.9
An act of holding something tightly
5
1.9
A tight hold with the hands or arms
2
2.0
Holding and pressing something firmly with your hand
2
2.7
To hold something firmly with the hand or another body part
2
4.0
A tight hold on something using hands or arms
1
4.1
A firm grip with the hands or arms that keeps something from moving
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
35
4.8
To feel angry at someone for something they did in the past that hurt you
- Informal
10
8.1
Make someone do what they promised or take responsibility by pressuring them
7
8.5
Ask anyone who objects to speak now or be silent forever
- Slang
2
9.9
A joking way to say you will try something daring or foolish after someone else does
- Informal
1
8.8
To have the only responsibility for a hard problem when others avoid it
- Slang
A joking request to someone to hold your drink before doing something daring
To support two opposite sides at the same time to please both
Compounds
- NSFW
6
7.5
A tight arm around someone's neck from behind to stop them moving or make them pass out
- Jargon
1
7.8
A position where someone wraps their legs around an opponent's body or head and presses their feet together to squeeze
- Jargon
A wrestler wraps their legs around someone's body or head and squeezes them with the feet
How Tight
Surface Forms
Etymology
The noun hold comes from the same Old English healdan, meaning 'to keep' or 'grip', so a strong physical 'hold' is simply a tight way of keeping something in place.