Hold Definition
- To come into possession of; find:
Where can I get hold of a copy?
- To communicate with, as by telephone:
tried to get hold of you but the line was busy.
- To compare favorably with:
This film doesn't hold a candle to his previous ones.
- To fulfill one's part of an agreement; do one's share.
- To do reasonably well despite difficulty or criticism.
- To withhold something from:
Don't hold out on me; start telling the truth.
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Hold
- get hold of
- hold a candle to
- hold
- hold (one's) own
- hold out on (someone)
- hold (someone's) feet to the fire
- hold sway
- hold the bag
- hold the fort
- hold the line
- hold the phone
- hold water
- no holds barred
- on hold
- catch hold of
- get (a) hold of
- hold back
- hold down
- hold forth
- hold in
- hold off
- hold on
- hold one's own
- hold out
- hold out for
- hold over
- hold up
- hold with
- lay hold of
- no holds barred
- on hold
Origin of Hold
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From Middle English hold, holde, from Old English hold (“gracious, friendly, kind, favorable, true, faithful, loyal, devout, acceptable, pleasant”), from Proto-Germanic *hulþaz (“favourable, gracious, loyal”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to tend, incline, bend, tip”). Cognate with German hold (“gracious, friendly, sympathetic, grateful”), Danish and Swedish huld (“fair, kindly, gracious”), Icelandic hollur (“faithful, dedicated, loyal”), German Huld (“grace, favour”).
From Wiktionary
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From Middle English holden, from Old English healdan, from Proto-Germanic *haldaną ‘to tend, herd’, from Proto-Indo-European *kel- ‘to drive’ (compare Latin celer (“quick”), Tocharian B kälts (“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω (kellō, “to drive”), Sanskrit kaláyati (“he impels”)). Cognate to West Frisian hâlde, Low German holden, holen, Dutch houden, German halten, Danish holde.
From Wiktionary
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Alteration (influenced by hold) of Middle English hole husk, hull of a ship from Old English hulu kel-1 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Alteration (due to hold) of hole. Cognate with Dutch hol (“hole, cave, den, cavity, cargo hold”).
From Wiktionary
Middle English holden from Old English healdan
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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