INDEX:
1. to have something in your hand
2. to hold something tightly
3. to start holding something
4. to hold something and turn it around in your hands
5. to hold a weapon
6. to put your arms around someone
7. to hold someone’s hand, arm etc
8. the way that someone holds something
9. to stop holding something
RELATED WORDS
have an amount of something inside : ↑ CONTAIN
see also
↑ LIFT
↑ CARRY
↑ TAKE
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1. to have something in your hand
▷ hold /həʊld/ [transitive verb]
▪ I held the money tightly in my hand.
▪ In the photograph there was a small boy holding a flag.
▪ A smiling woman holding a can of beer came over to us.
hold something up/hold up something
hold something high in the air
▪ What a lovely picture! Hold it up so everyone can see it.
hold something out/hold out something
hold something towards someone, especially to offer it to them
▪ I took a glass of champagne from the tray the waiter held out.
▷ in your hand /ɪn jɔːʳ ˈhænd/ [adverb]
if something is in your hand, you are holding it :
▪ What’s that in your hand?
▪ He arrived at the door with an enormous bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other.
in each hand
▪ Theo walked across the yard with a pail in each hand.
2. to hold something tightly
▷ hold on/hang on /ˌhəʊld ˈɒn, ˌhæŋ ˈɒn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to put your hand around something and hold it tightly, in order to stop yourself from falling or from losing what you are holding :
▪ We’re coming up to a bumpy bit - you’d better hold on!
▪ Just hang on as best you can and I’ll try and get some help.
hold/hang on to something
▪ Mother’s not strong. She can’t walk without holding on to someone’s arm.
▪ People stood hanging on to the overhead straps of the swaying subway car.
hold on tight
▪ As the roller coaster turned upside down I shut my eyes and held on tight.
▪ He inched across the roof, hanging on as best he could.
▷ grip /grɪp/ [transitive verb]
to hold something tightly, by pressing your fingers very hard against it :
▪ David suddenly gripped my arm and pulled me away from the road.
▪ His knuckles whitened as he gripped the microphone.
▪ She found his hand and gripped it tightly.
▷ clutch/clasp /klʌtʃ, klɑːspǁklæsp/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to hold something tightly, closing your fingers around it :
▪ ‘Ah!’ he cried, clutching his stomach.
▪ A group of tourists stood clutching their phrase books.
▪ A little girl stood clasping her mother’s hand.
▪ Sally ran out of the house, clasping her schoolbooks to her chest.
▷ cling to /ˈklɪŋ tuː/ [verb phrase]
to hold on to someone or something very tightly for comfort or support :
▪ The baby monkey clings to its mother’s back until it can climb by itself.
▪ Many children will cling to a soft blanket or toy as a substitute for their mother at night.
▪ Rescue workers saved a 9-year-old boy who was clinging to rocks after he was swept into the ocean by the tide.
3. to start holding something
▷ get/take hold of also get a hold of /ˌget, ˌteɪk ˈhəʊld ɒv, ˌget ə ˈhəʊld ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to take something and hold it in your hand :
▪ I took hold of the handle and pulled as hard as I could.
▪ Sheila fished in her handbag until she got hold of her keys.
▪ The baby got a hold of her beads and broke the string.
▷ grab /græb/ [transitive verb]
to quickly and roughly take something and hold it :
▪ Brown grabbed the phone and started shouting.
▪ She turned to him and grabbed his arm so hard it surprised him.
grab hold of something
▪ The boy grabbed hold of my bag and disappeared quickly into the crowd.
grab something from somebody
▪ According to the report, Mason grabbed the gun from a friend.
▷ clutch/grasp at also grasp for /ˈklʌtʃ, ˈgrɑːsp æt, ˈgrɑːsp fɔːʳǁˈgræsp-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to take something in your hand, especially when it is very difficult to do this :
▪ I clutched at my mother’s arm to keep from falling.
▪ The climber grasped at a small hold just above him.
4. to hold something and turn it around in your hands
▷ handle /ˈhændl/ [transitive verb]
to hold something and turn it around in your hands, for example to examine it or use it :
▪ Please do not handle the fruit and vegetables.
▪ This violin is very old and valuable and must be handled carefully.
▷ fiddle with /ˈfɪdl wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
to hold something small and keep turning it around in your hands, especially because you are nervous or bored :
▪ Martina was fiddling nervously with her pen.
▪ Stop fiddling with the remote control!
▷ play with /ˈpleɪ wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
to hold something in your hands and turn it around continuously for no reason :
▪ She played with the red roses on the table as she talked.
▪ Is it worth reading to our kids when they’re busy playing with their hair or their teddy bears? Yes.
▷ fumble with /ˈfʌmb ə l wɪð/ []
to hold something with your fingers or in your hand, trying to move it in some way, but doing it carelessly or with difficulty :
▪ She could hear someone fumbling with the handle of her door.
▪ I fumbled drunkenly with the keys, dropping them to the floor.
▪ He stood before them, his eyes lowered, fumbling with his hat.
5. to hold a weapon
▷ wield /wiːld/ [transitive verb]
to hold a weapon such as a knife or stick and wave it around so that people can see that you are going to use it :
▪ The rioters faced police who were wielding clubs and batons.
knife-wielding/gun-wielding/sword-wielding etc
▪ Home was a cramped two rooms in a street where gun-wielding criminals walked.
▷ brandish /ˈbrændɪʃ/ [transitive verb]
to hold something such as a gun, knife, or stick so that people can see it, especially while threatening them :
▪ A man brandishing a gun had threatened staff and customers at a local bank.
▪ Four horsemen dashed up at full gallop, shouting and brandishing their weapons.
6. to put your arms around someone
▷ hold /həʊld/ [transitive verb]
to put your arms around someone and hold them close to you, especially to show that you love them, or in order to comfort them :
▪ I held her until she went to sleep.
hold somebody tight
▪ There was nothing I could say so I just held her tight and let her cry.
hold somebody in your arms
▪ She held a baby in her arms.
▷ put your arms around /ˌpʊt jɔːr ˈɑːʳmz əraʊnd/ [verb phrase]
to hold someone especially when you want to comfort them or kiss them or show that you love them :
▪ Mama put her arms around me and tried to comfort me.
▪ She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
▷ hug /hʌg/ [transitive verb]
to put your arms around someone and hold them close to you, especially to show that you love them, or to comfort them :
▪ My father hugged me affectionately when I got home.
▪ ‘I’ll never forget you,’ she said, and we hugged each other for the last time.
hug somebody close/tight
▪ Jane threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.
hug [countable noun]
give somebody a hug
▪ Give me a hug, then it’s time for bed.
bear hug
a very tight hug
▪ His arms tightened around her in a bear hug.
▷ cuddle /ˈkʌdl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to hold someone in your arms for a long time, especially a child, a small animal, or someone you love :
▪ She had fallen asleep in her chair, cuddling a little teddy bear.
kiss and cuddle
when two people hold each other and kiss each other
▪ They were kissing and cuddling on the sofa.
cuddle [countable noun]
give somebody a cuddle
▪ She was giving the baby a cuddle.
▷ take somebody in your arms /ˌteɪk somebody ɪn jɔːr ˈɑːʳmz/ [verb phrase]
to gently pull someone towards you and hold them in your arms, especially someone you love :
▪ He took Sophie in his arms and kissed her.
▪ Margaret took the little boy in her arms and carried him downstairs.
▷ embrace /ɪmˈbreɪs/ [intransitive/transitive verb] formal
put your arms around someone and hold them in a friendly or loving way, especially when you are meeting or leaving someone :
▪ Phoebe ran to embrace her mother.
▪ Before my flight was called we stood and embraced.
embrace [countable noun]
▪ The children rushed into the embrace of their father.
7. to hold someone’s hand, arm etc
▷ hold somebody’s hand /ˌhəʊld somebodyˈs ˈhænd/ [verb phrase]
to hold someone’s hand, especially to comfort them or to make them feel safe :
▪ Hold Mummy’s hand -- there’s a good girl.
▪ Andrew sat next to Jane and held her hand.
▪ He held her hand tightly and led her across the street.
hold hands
if two or more people hold hands, they hold each other’s hands
▪ She saw Kurt and Eileen coming back from the beach, kissing and holding hands.
▪ Then we all sat in a circle and held hands.
▷ take somebody by the arm/hand etc /ˌteɪk somebody baɪ ði ˈɑːʳm/ [verb phrase]
to take hold of someone’s hand, arm etc, in order to take them somewhere :
▪ Emily took me by the hand and led me into the garden.
▪ A nurse took her arm and led her to a chair.
8. the way that someone holds something
▷ hold /həʊld/ [singular noun]
the way in which someone is holding something :
somebody’s hold on something
▪ I tightened my hold on the child as we crossed the busy road.
tighten/loosen/relax your hold (on)
▪ My mother relaxed, and loosened her hold on my hand.
keep/have hold of
▪ Prevost asked me if I still had hold of my camera.
▪ In this form of wrestling there are a number of different holds, each used in a different situation.
▷ grip /grɪp/ [singular noun]
the way you hold something tightly :
▪ The policeman had a firm grip on my arm.
▪ To play this shot, you need to change your grip on the racquet slightly.
lose your grip
be unable to hold something any longer
▪ I lost my grip on the branch, and fell out of the tree.
tighten your grip
grip something more tightly
▪ She looked anxious and tightened her grip on her shoulder bag.
▷ grasp /grɑːspǁgræsp/ [singular noun]
the way you hold something tightly, especially a part of someone’s body, in order to keep them close to you :
▪ She tried to escape Moore’s grasp but he was too strong for her.
tighten your grasp
grasp something more tightly
▪ Helen tightened her grasp on my collar and shouted ‘Don’t fool around with me, Mickey!’
9. to stop holding something
▷ let go /ˌlet ˈgəʊ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to stop holding something or someone :
▪ Let go! You’re hurting me.
let go of
▪ She wouldn’t let go of the letter.
▪ At the end of the fair, the school let go of hundreds of balloons.
▷ drop /drɒpǁdrɑːp/ [transitive verb]
to stop holding something suddenly, especially by accident, so that it falls to the ground :
▪ I dropped my sunglasses and they broke.
▪ As soon as she saw him she dropped her suitcases and ran towards him.
▷ release /rɪˈliːs/ [transitive verb] especially written
to stop holding something, especially someone’s hand, wrist, arm etc :
▪ He took hold of my hand but then released it again quickly.