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Glite Dictionary
to hold one's tongue

to hold one's tongue

3 5.4
To stay silent to avoid saying something rude
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : morderse la lengua
  • Octavia wanted to say that it was none of her business, but held her tongue.
  • tried to hold his tongue
  • say something, but held his tongue
  • hold his tongue and keep

Examples

  • But she was outgunned and knew it, and so she held her tongue.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • "Looks like you did too," Sterling thought, but held his tongue.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • I can no longer hold my tongue.

    Playing with Fire (2019)

  • In those days, a man who held his tongue with his friend was doing him a great favor.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Paul reacts to this image but holds his tongue.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Worf wanted badly to defend the captain, but he held his tongue.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Rebecca, I've held my tongue for two solid weeks, but I cannot any longer.

    Hard Country (1981)

  • Questions tumbled in her mind like an avalanche, but she held her tongue.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Hold your tongue, lest you make a claim you cannot retract.

    Anonymous (2011)

  • She wanted to express her disagreement, but she decided to hold her tongue to avoid an argument.

Synonyms

to be quiet
vsto hold one's tongue
231 1.0

To stop making noise or talking

is more about deliberate self-restraint to avoid conflict or saying something inappropriate
to keep one's mouth shut
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Informal
116 5.6

To say nothing to avoid trouble or keep a secret

focuses on silence to prevent conflict or impoliteness rather than secrecy
to hold back
vsto hold one's tongue
108 4.2

Keep yourself from showing feelings or telling others

is narrower, concentrating on silence to prevent offensive or inappropriate remarks
to swallow
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Informal
5 7.0

To take back words you said

is specifically about staying silent to avoid conflict or impropriety
to shut one's mouth
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Informal
4 4.4

To stop talking to keep a secret or when told to be quiet

is about self-control to avoid saying something wrong rather than obeying orders
to bite one's tongue
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Informal
1 6.1

Stop yourself from saying something you want to say because it would be rude

is about staying silent mainly to avoid conflict or saying something inappropriate
to keep shtum
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Slang
1 9.9

To stay silent on purpose to avoid trouble

is similar but emphasizes avoiding conflict or saying something inappropriate
to button one's lip
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Informal
7.2

To keep quiet on purpose and not tell others

is more about self-restraint to avoid rude or hurtful speech
to zip someone's lip
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Informal
8.4

To keep quiet and not tell others about something

is about holding back speech mainly to prevent conflict or impoliteness
to bite one's lip
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Informal
6.1

Pressing your lips together to keep from laughing or saying something

is broader, focusing on stopping speech to avoid conflict or saying something inappropriate
to belt up
vsto hold one's tongue
  • Offensive
9.2

To tell someone to stop talking and be quiet

is about choosing silence oneself to avoid causing offence or trouble

Antonyms

to speak out
220 3.4

To say your opinion or feelings openly even when it is difficult

to voice
152 3.2

To say something aloud, especially an opinion or feeling

How Silent

to be quiet
231 1.0
to hold one's tongue
  • Informal
3 5.4
to bite one's tongue
  • Informal
1 6.1
to hold back
108 4.2
to hesitate
318 2.5

Surface Forms

hold one's tongue infinitive
holding one's tongue present participle
holds one's tongue third person singular
held one's tongue past
held one's tongue past participle

Morphology

hold + one + tongue

The meaning 'to remain silent' follows directly from the literal image of 'holding' (restraining) one's 'tongue' (organ of speech), so a learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer the idiomatic sense. This metaphorical restraint of speech is common cross-linguistically and matches standard English compositional patterns, making it accessible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Hold one's tongue may come from the simple image of someone keeping their tongue still with their hand so words cannot come out. So it means 'to remain silent' or 'to stop yourself from speaking', often to avoid saying something that would cause trouble.