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Glite Dictionary
✋ To limit 💼 To keep a job
to hold down

to hold down

22 3.2
To keep something low and stop it from getting bigger
  • phrasal verb
  • /hoʊld daʊn/
translation icon : contener
  • "Anything we can do to produce more while holding down costs will benefit farmers."
  • hold down prices
  • hold down costs

I fought for the ones that were enslaved, held down by dictators, starved.

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Examples

  • We have to find a way to hold down the inflation rate and reduce the deficit.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • To hold down fees, some agencies will permit you to inspect material and select portions for copying.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Yeah, you do just have to hold it down for a few seconds.

  • The second thing that we could do is hold down the sides of it.

  • OK, so hold down volume up and press the power button.

  • Like most writers, I have to hold down a day job.

    Blog text (23)

  • The curriculum also includes courses on seeking and holding down a job and on environmental literacy.

    Blog text (21)

  • As it stands, Medicare does a good job of holding down costs.

    Blog text (26)

  • I placed loose red bricks around the periphery, on the grass, to hold the tarp down.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • To keep expenses manageable, the company must hold down costs without sacrificing quality.

Synonyms

to limit
vsto hold down
∞ 2.1

To control how much or how often something happens

is specifically about stopping growth or excess rather than just defining bounds
to contain
vsto hold down
388 3.5

To keep something dangerous from spreading or getting worse

aims at limiting amount or preventing increase rather than only stopping spread
to check
vsto hold down
104 3.7

Stop something from growing or spreading

is used for general keeping within limits rather than only stopping forward progress
to restrain
vsto hold down
86 4.6

Hold a person or thing so it cannot move freely

is broader, including nonphysical limits on increase or excess rather than only force
to constrain
vsto hold down
64 5.6

To limit what someone can do or how they can act

applies to preventing increases or excess rather than forcing behaviour
to rein in
vsto hold down
53 4.6

To keep someone or something under control, for example by limiting spending

is broader restraint to keep amounts low rather than physical reduction action
to stifle
vsto hold down
49 5.3

To hold back a feeling or reaction so it does not show

is about preventing numerical or size increases rather than emotional suppression
to keep down
vsto hold down
39 3.6

To stop people or groups from becoming stronger

is the general act of keeping within limits rather than just stopping rises
to clamp down
vsto hold down
18 4.2

To use strict rules and punishments to stop bad or illegal actions

focuses on limiting increase or excess rather than forceful immediate action
to hold steady
vsto hold down
17 2.9

Keep something or someone in place and still

focuses on limiting growth or excess, not on keeping stable position
to clamp down on
vsto hold down
13 5.3

Take strong action to stop something bad or illegal

is a more neutral act of keeping amounts low rather than strict enforcement
to put a lid on
vsto hold down
  • US
9 6.4

To stop something from continuing or becoming known

is about keeping amounts or levels down rather than hiding or silencing
to hold the line
vsto hold down
4 5.1

To keep prices or spending at the same level

is about restraining more generally rather than only stopping rises

Antonyms

to allow
∞ 1.0

To let something happen or let someone do something

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

How Restricted

to suppress
176 4.8
to contain
388 3.5
to hold down
22 3.2
to curb
73 3.5
control
∞ 2.8

Surface Forms

hold down infinitive
holding down present participle
holds down third person singular
held down past
held down past participle

Morphology

hold + down

There is a clear link between 'hold' (to keep or retain) and the particle 'down' contributing a sense of maintaining or keeping something in place, so a learner who knows the constituents could infer a general meaning of keeping or retaining. However, the specific collocation 'hold down a job/position' (maintain employment over time, often under difficulty) is a conventionalized usage of the phrasal verb and not fully predictable from the parts alone, making it only partially transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Hold down comes from the simple image of using your hands to hold something down so it cannot rise or move. That's why it means 'to stop something or keep it within limits'.