hold one's own


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ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.hold one's own - be sufficiently competent in a certain situation; "He can hold his own in graduate school"
2.hold one's own - maintain one's position and be in control of a situation
control, command - exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

hold1

(həuld) – past tense, past participle held (held) – verb
1. to have in one's hand(s) or between one's hands. He was holding a knife; Hold that dish with both hands; He held the little boy's hand; He held the mouse by its tail.
2. to have in a part, or between parts, of the body, or between parts of a tool etc. He held the pencil in his teeth; She was holding a pile of books in her arms; Hold the stamp with tweezers.
3. to support or keep from moving, running away, falling etc. What holds that shelf up?; He held the door closed by leaning against it; Hold your hands above your head; Hold his arms so that he can't struggle.
4. to remain in position, fixed etc when under strain. I've tied the two pieces of string together, but I'm not sure the knot will hold; Will the anchor hold in a storm?
5. to keep (a person) in some place or in one's power. The police are holding a man for questioning in connection with the murder; He was held captive.
6. to (be able to) contain. This jug holds two pints; You can't hold water in a handkerchief; This drawer holds all my shirts.
7. to cause to take place. The meeting will be held next week; We'll hold the meeting in the hall.
8. to keep (oneself), or to be, in a particular state or condition. We'll hold ourselves in readiness in case you send for us; She holds herself very erect.
9. to have or be in (a job etc). He held the position of company secretary for five years.
10. to think strongly; to believe; to consider or regard. I hold that this was the right decision; He holds me (to be) responsible for everyone's mistakes; He is held in great respect; He holds certain very odd beliefs.
11. to continue to be valid or apply. Our offer will hold until next week; These rules hold under all circumstances.
12. (with to) to force (a person) to do something he has promised to do. I intend to hold him to his promises.
13. to defend. They held the castle against the enemy.
14. not to be beaten by. The general realized that the soldiers could not hold the enemy for long.
15. to keep (a person's attention). If you can't hold your pupils' attention, you can't be a good teacher.
16. to keep someone in a certain state. Don't hold us in suspense, what was the final decision?
17. to celebrate. The festival is held on 24 June.
18. to be the owner of. He holds shares in this company.
19. (of good weather) to continue. I hope the weather holds until after the school sports.
20. (also hold the line) (of a person who is making a telephone call) to wait. Mr Brown is busy at the moment – will you hold or would you like him to call you back?
21. to continue to sing. Please hold that note for four whole beats.
22. to keep (something). They'll hold your luggage at the station until you collect it.
23. (of the future) to be going to produce. I wonder what the future holds for me?
noun
1. the act of holding. He caught/got/laid/took hold of the rope and pulled; Keep hold of that rope.
2. power; influence. He has a strange hold over that girl.
3. (in wrestling etc) a manner of holding one's opponent. The wrestler invented a new hold.
-holder
a person or thing that holds something. a pen-holder; a ticket-holder (= a person who has a ticket for something).
ˈhold-all noun
a (usually large) bag with a zip for packing clothes etc into.
get hold of
1. to manage to speak to. I've been trying to get hold of you by phone all morning.
2. to get, buy or obtain. I've been trying to get hold of a copy of that book for years.
hold back
1. to refuse to tell someone (something). The police were convinced the man was holding something back.
2. to prevent from happening, being seen etc, with an effort. The little girl succeeded in holding back her tears.
3. to prevent from making progress. I meant to finish cleaning the house but the children have held me back all morning.
hold down
to keep or be allowed to stay in (a job). He is incapable of holding down a job.
hold forth
to talk or give one's opinions, often loudly, at great length. The prime minister held forth for hours on the success of his government.
hold good
to be true or valid; to apply. Does that rule hold good in every case?
hold it
to stop or wait. Hold it! Don't start till I tell you to.
hold off
1. (of weather) to stay away. I hope the rain holds off.
2. to keep off; to fight successfully against. The soldiers managed to hold off the enemy.
hold on
1. (often with to) to keep (a grip on) (something). She held on to me to stop herself slipping; I couldn't hold on any longer, so I let go of the rope.
2. to stop or wait. Hold on – I'm not quite ready yet; The operator asked the caller to hold on while she connected him.
hold out
1. to continue to survive etc until help arrives. The rescue team hoped the men in the boat could hold out till they arrived.
2. to continue to fight against an enemy attack. The soldiers held out for eight days.
3. to be enough to last. Will our supplies hold out till the end of the month?
hold one's own
to be as successful in a fight, argument etc as one's opponent. His opponents tried to prove his arguments wrong but he managed to hold his own.
hold one's tongue
to remain silent or stop talking. There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but I thought I'd better just hold my tongue.
hold up
1. to stop or slow the progress of. I'm sorry I'm late – I got held up at the office.
2. to stop and rob. The bandits held up the stagecoach.
ˈhold-up noun
hold with
to approve of. He doesn't hold with smoking.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
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The ability to hold one's own in the peer society became a marker of physical and emotional health.
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