9 VERB If an offer or invitation still holds , it is still available for you to accept. □ [V ] Does your offer still hold?
10 VERB If a good situation holds , it continues and does not get worse or fail. □ [V ] Our luck couldn't hold for ever. □ [V ] Would the weather hold?
11 VERB If an argument or theory holds , it is true or valid, even after close examination. □ [V ] Today, most people think that argument no longer holds. ● PHRASAL VERB Hold up means the same as hold . □ [V P ] Democrats say arguments against the bill won't hold up.
12 VERB If part of a structure holds , it does not fall or break although there is a lot of force or pressure on it. □ [V ] How long would the roof hold?
13 VERB If laws or rules hold , they exist and remain in force. □ [V ] These laws also hold for universities.
14 VERB If you hold to a promise or to high standards of behaviour, you keep that promise or continue to behave according to those standards. [FORMAL ] □ [V + to ] Will the President be able to hold to this commitment?
15 VERB If someone or something holds you to a promise or to high standards of behaviour, they make you keep that promise or those standards. □ [V n + to ] Don't hold me to that.
➍ hold ◆◆◆ /hoʊ ld/ (holds , holding , held )
→ Please look at categories 13 to 25 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 PHRASE If you hold forth on a subject, you speak confidently and for a long time about it, especially to a group of people. □ Barry was holding forth on politics.
2 PHRASE If you get hold of an object or information, you obtain it, usually after some difficulty. □ It is hard to get hold of guns in this country.
3 PHRASE If you get hold of a fact or a subject, you learn about it and understand it well. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ He first had to get hold of some basic facts.
4 PHRASE If you get hold of someone, you manage to contact them. □ The only electrician we could get hold of was miles away.
5 CONVENTION If you say ' Hold it ', you are telling someone to stop what they are doing and to wait. □ Hold it! Don't move!
6 PHRASE If you put something on hold , you decide not to do it, deal with it, or change it now, but to leave it until later. □ He put his retirement on hold until he had found a solution.
7 PHRASE If you hold your own , you are able to resist someone who is attacking or opposing you. □ The Frenchman held his own against the challenger.
8 PHRASE If you can do something well enough to hold your own , you do not appear foolish when you are compared with someone who is generally thought to be very good at it. □ She can hold her own against almost any player.
9 PHRASE If you hold still , you do not move. □ Can't you hold still for a second?
10 PHRASE If something takes hold , it gains complete control or influence over a person or thing. □ [+ of ] She felt a strange excitement taking hold of her.
11 PHRASE If you hold tight , you put your hand round or against something in order to prevent yourself from falling over. A bus driver might say ' Hold tight! ' to you if you are standing on a bus when it is about to move. □ He held tight to the rope.
12 PHRASE If you hold tight , you do not immediately start a course of action that you have been planning or thinking about. □ The unions have urged members to hold tight until a national deal is struck.
13 to hold something at bay → see bay
14 to hold your breath → see breath
15 to hold something in check → see check
16 to hold court → see court ➊
17 to hold fast → see fast
18 to hold the fort → see fort
19 to hold your ground → see ground
20 to hold your peace → see peace
21 to hold someone to ransom → see ransom
22 to hold sway → see sway
23 to hold your tongue → see tongue
➎ hold ◆◆◆ /hoʊ ld/ (holds , holding , held )
▸ hold against PHRASAL VERB If you hold something against someone, you let their actions in the past influence your present attitude towards them and cause you to deal severely or unfairly with them. □ [V n P n] Bernstein lost the case, but never held it against Grundy.
▸ hold back
1 PHRASAL VERB If you hold back or if something holds you back , you hesitate before you do something because you are not sure whether it is the right thing to do. □ [V P ] The administration had several reasons for holding back. □ [V n P ] Melancholy and mistrust of men hold her back. [Also V P n (not pron)]
2 PHRASAL VERB To hold someone or something back means to prevent someone from doing something, or to prevent something from happening. □ [V P n] Stagnation in home sales is holding back economic recovery. □ [V n P ] Jake wanted to wake up, but sleep held him back.
3 PHRASAL VERB If you hold something back , you keep it in reserve to use later. □ [V P n] Farmers apparently hold back produce in the hope that prices will rise. [Also V n P ]