verb
BAD : One of the men walked over to me and held my bag.
GOOD : One of the men walked over to me and took hold of my bag.
BAD : As soon as she saw the mouse, she held a knife.
GOOD : As soon as she saw the mouse, she picked up a knife.
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hold = have something in your hand/hands/arms etc: 'I'd been holding the baby for nearly an hour and my right arm was getting tired.'
get/take hold of = put your fingers or hands around something and hold it: 'Quick! Get hold of the rope! The boat's drifting away.'
pick up = put your fingers around something and take it: 'He bent down to pick up the glove that she'd dropped.'