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Glite Dictionary
🕹️ To gain control ✋ To grab
to take hold

to take hold

15 2.0
To grasp something with your hands
  • phrasal verb
  • /teɪk hoʊld/
translation icon : agarrar
  • She took hold of the steering wheel firmly as the car approached the curve.

And Ariak is summoned and takes hold of Balo and brings him back to to chaos.

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Examples

Synonyms

to catch
vsto take hold
∞ 1.0

To take hold of a moving person or thing to stop it

describes intentional manual seizing regardless of the object's movement
to grab
vsto take hold
∞ 1.0

To take hold of something quickly with your hand

is deliberate and steady rather than rapid or eager in action
to pick up
vsto take hold
834 1.0

To lift something or someone from the ground with your hands

refers to deliberate hand contact without implying lifting motion
to seize
vsto take hold
277 3.2

To take control of a place or person quickly, often by force

is a deliberate hand action without sudden force or seizure
to hold onto
vsto take hold
180 3.0

To keep something and not let it go

is about initially taking something deliberately rather than ongoing retention
to hold on
vsto take hold
141 2.0

To keep a strong grip on something so it does not fall

focuses on the initial deliberate manual action not sustained holding
to snatch
vsto take hold
136 3.0

To take something quickly with your hand

is a deliberate manual action not characterized by haste
to clutch
vsto take hold
118 3.4

To hold something tightly with the hands or because of strong feeling

is deliberate physical grasping without emotional tension
to grip
vsto take hold
85 1.3

To hold something or someone tightly, often to keep them safe

focuses on deliberate taking rather than strength in conflict
to snap
vsto take hold
65 1.6

Grab something quickly with a sudden motion

is a controlled deliberate grasp rather than a sudden abrupt action
to grasp
vsto take hold
60 1.1

To take and hold something firmly with the hands

is about a deliberate action rather than stressing firm pressure
to take up
vsto take hold
56 2.0

To lift something up, often with a spoon or tool

is about deliberate seizing rather than the specific scoop movement
to hold tight
vsto take hold
  • Informal
42 2.2

Grab something firmly with your hands to stay safe

describes the initial deliberate capture rather than urgent safety use
to get hold of
vsto take hold
24 2.5

To take something in your hand

emphasizes the deliberate physical grasp rather than overall obtaining
to snatch up
vsto take hold
24 4.6

To grab something quickly, often before someone else

is careful and intentional rather than hasty or eager
to take hold of
vsto take hold
21 3.1

Grab something or someone with your hands

is the same deliberate manual action described more simply
to prehend
vsto take hold
  • Archaic
9.9

To take and hold something with a hand or tail

is the common, everyday manual action rather than technical wording
to hent
vsto take hold
  • Archaic
9.9

To take and hold something quickly

is the modern, commonly used way to describe deliberate hand seizing

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to drop
∞ 1.0

To let something fall suddenly or by accident

How Tight

to seize
277 3.2
to clutch
118 3.4
to grasp
60 1.1
to take hold
15 2.0
grab
59 1.0
to hold
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

take hold infinitive
taking hold present participle
takes hold third person singular
took hold past
taken hold past participle

Morphology

take + hold

The meaning 'to grasp or seize something' is directly derivable from combining 'take' (to seize) with 'hold' (to support in the hand); the phrase simply expresses taking a hold of something literally. This is a common, compositional verb + verb/particle-like construction found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Take hold comes from the simple image of a hand grabbing something—your hand takes and holds the rope to stop you falling. So it means 'to grasp' or 'seize' something with your hands.