to hold steady
17
2.9
- phrasal verb
:
mantenerse estable
- She asked him to hold steady while she adjusted the camera for the photo.
But really, if you follow this show week by week, you have to ask how much longer would the morale of any soldier hold steady?
- But really, if you follow this show week by week, you have to ask how much longer would the morale of any soldier hold steady?
Examples
-
All right, it's holding steady at 10 psi.
-
Gold has to hold steady.
-
That seems to be holding steady now.
-
Levels are holding steady, I think.
-
Tell 'em to hold steady.
-
All I could do was keep moving, holding steady on course.
Fiction book (1992) -
The figure for 2000 held steady with that of 1999.
Academic text (2001) -
His vitals are holding steady.
-
The class size has held steady at 25-32 students per quarter.
Academic text (1999) -
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 7.5 percent, a 16-year low.
Blog text (3)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To continue doing something or stay in the same state
840
1.4
To remain true or valid in a situation
347
3.3
To fasten firmly so it cannot move or be taken
285
2.0
To keep something steady so it does not fall
240
1.0
Hold up something so it does not fall
197
3.7
To make something steady so it stops moving or falling
182
1.0
To put something on or against something so it stays steady
115
3.4
To support the weight of something so it does not fall
82
7.7
To make something stable by fixing ropes or braces
68
1.6
Hold something in place so it cannot move
41
3.4
To make yourself or something stop moving
41
4.1
To hold up something heavy so it does not fall
11
5.5
To stay firmly attached to something or keep believing strongly in an idea
8
4.8
To hold something in a steady, balanced position
5
3.7
To attach something in place with a pin
3
4.0
Putting supports under something to hold it in place
2
6.8
To fasten something so it does not move
Antonyms
How Steady
- US
197
3.7
51
3.4
347
3.3
17
2.9
186
1.3
12
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to keep something or someone in a stable and unmoving position' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'hold' (to keep or grasp) with 'steady' (stable). This verb+adjective composition follows a common, compositional pattern in English (and similar logic in many other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The verb hold steady comes from the simple image of a person using their hands to hold something so it stays steady and does not move, like keeping a camera still on a rocking boat. So, it means 'to keep something or someone stable and still'.