to hold court
6
7.4
- phrasal verb
:
entretener
- At the party, she was holding court, captivating everyone with her stories.
- Queen Latifah holds court
- holding court at the bar
- holding court at his restaurant
And Gore Vidal was going to hold court with that group and have a little group think.
- And Gore Vidal was going to hold court with that group and have a little group think.
- And as soon as I walk in, he's holding court.
- Listen, some people just like to hold court.
- He he holds court, you know, like when he's out there, people pay attention.
- It's a place for them to show up, hold court, feel safe, feel on top of things, get validated.
- A single nickname synonymous with success is new media, where he holds court serving game.
- The narcissist often sits there as though they are holding court and receiving what they believe is there.
Examples
-
Between sips of tea, Jose (Pepe) Mujica held court and offered tidbits of personal philosophy to the study-abroad cohort.
Academic text (2016) -
And then the way you held court on that rooftop, I get it now.
-
And that was when I really held court.
Fiction book (1995) -
Every evening, they held court for the students? A kind of salon.
Fiction book (1998) -
It's a place for them to show up, hold court, feel safe, feel on top of things, get validated.
-
The door to the kitchen swung open, and she saw him holding court around the kitchen table.
Fiction book (1999) -
For the last hour, Buck had been holding court at the bar, where everyone had adjourned when the fun outside was over.
Fiction book (1998) -
At the corner table, Joe Masseria holds court.
Fiction book (1991) -
Madame Marcia held court this morning.
-
We see Paul Vahio holding court while eating a sausage sandwich.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
226
2.0
Make people laugh or enjoy themselves
12
3.5
Attract many people to watch or listen
8
7.9
To show off to attract attention from others
3
3.9
To make people look at or listen to you
1
6.1
Keep speaking for a long time in a meeting so others cannot speak
1
6.7
Make an audience like you and pay close attention
To cause a group of people to stand and clap to show approval
Make an audience feel excited and cheer
Become the center of attention in public
Antonyms
How Entertaining
1
7.0
6
7.4
19
4.2
226
2.0
117
3.5
947
1.0
- Informal
312
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the parts 'hold' and 'court' have clear literal senses, the idiomatic meaning 'to attract and entertain an audience' relies on an archaic sense of 'court' (a sovereign's audience) and a conventionalized metaphor of presiding over listeners; a B1 learner who only knows basic meanings will not reliably infer this sense. The expression is therefore idiomatic and not transparently compositional for typical learners.
Etymology
The verb hold court comes from an old picture of a ruler or judge who would sit in a room and hold a court while people came to speak or listen. So today, to 'hold court' means to attract a group and keep their attention by talking or entertaining them.