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Glite Dictionary
📞 To wait on phone 🛡️ To not give in 💵 To keep steady
to hold the line

to hold the line

4 5.1
To keep prices or spending at the same level
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : contener
  • A spokeswoman for Romney's campaign said his plan holds the line on tax rates for individuals and families and dramatically reduces the corporate tax rate to create jobs.
  • hold the line on spending
  • hold the line on prices
  • hold the line on tuition

Examples

  • The government is determined to hold the line on spending in order to balance the budget.

  • Are we holding the line on a balanced budget?

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The Republicans can and must hold the line on taxes in the lame duck session, and in fact, Democrats will go along.

    Blog text (23)

  • He ran as a conservative who pledged to hold the line on taxes, according to the newspaper.

    Blog text (13)

  • The first thing you need to do is constrain public outlays for the old—which mostly means holding the line on healthcare spending.

    Blog text (26)

  • The city administration has promised to hold the line on property taxes to support local residents.

  • Despite the rising costs, the company managed to hold the line on prices for its customers.

Synonyms

to keep down
vsto hold the line
39 3.6

To stop people or groups from becoming stronger

keeps a value exactly at its present level and stops any increase
to hold down
vsto hold the line
22 3.2

To keep something low and stop it from getting bigger

focuses on preventing any rise and keeping level unchanged
to level off
vsto hold the line
17 3.9

Become steady after rising or falling

is about actively keeping values fixed instead of settling naturally
to flatline
vsto hold the line
3 6.1

To stop changing or getting better and stay at the same level

is an active effort to prevent increases rather than a passive result

Antonyms

to hike up the prices
1 4.8

To raise prices by a large amount, often suddenly

to bump up the budget
3.9

To increase the money available for a project or plan

How Stable

price freeze
  • Specialized
1 4.1
to hold the line
4 5.1
to drift
30 3.8

Surface Forms

hold the line infinitive
held the line past
held the line past participle
holding the line present participle
holds the line third person singular

Morphology

hold + the + line

The verb 'hold' (to keep or maintain) combined with 'line' (a boundary, limit, or position) yields a fairly predictable metaphor of keeping a boundary or position intact. However, the use as a set phrase meaning 'refuse to change a stance under pressure' requires a metaphorical mapping from physical holding to political or social steadfastness, so it is partly but not fully derivable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Hold the line comes from a battlefield picture where soldiers had to hold a front line to stop the enemy from moving forward. So, when people use it about money or prices it means 'to keep them at the same level'.