1
as in clutched
to have or keep in one's hands
this casserole dish is too hot to hold, so grab a potholder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in retained
to continue to have in one's possession or power
she, and she alone, held the keys to the mysterious chest
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3
as in believed
to have as an opinion
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"
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4
5
as in had
to keep in one's mind or heart
still held her close to his heart, though they had long parted
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6
as in owned
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
the same family has held this piece of land for over 100 years
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7
8
as in grasped
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
please hold my arm on these slippery stairs
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9
10
as in controlled
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
we managed to hold our laughter until we got outside hold your temper until you hear the whole story
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in aimed
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal
held the camera on the actor throughout the scene
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of held
The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.
—
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Mack held 35 actress and five producer credits during her career, according to the statement posted to CaringBridge.
—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
That’s different from another type of equity offering held by the NFL.
—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
5 Aug. 2025
One of the duties Lelakes has held at the YMCA is overseeing facilities across the county of San Diego for maintenance and capital improvement projects.
—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
The docuseries will be available to stream beginning Thursday on Prime Video, but an early screening of the second episode was held Monday for a collection of friends, family, business associates and media.
—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
5 Aug. 2025
During 9/11, people walked down the stairs in single file and held the door open for each other.
—
Rascal Kemble-Curry,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2025
Also, the Heat held the NBA’s 14th-worst record at the start of the skid and now has the league’s eighth-worst record this season.
—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2025
Daniel S. Levine,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.
—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Mack held 35 actress and five producer credits during her career, according to the statement posted to CaringBridge.
—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
That’s different from another type of equity offering held by the NFL.
—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
5 Aug. 2025
One of the duties Lelakes has held at the YMCA is overseeing facilities across the county of San Diego for maintenance and capital improvement projects.
—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
The docuseries will be available to stream beginning Thursday on Prime Video, but an early screening of the second episode was held Monday for a collection of friends, family, business associates and media.
—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
5 Aug. 2025
During 9/11, people walked down the stairs in single file and held the door open for each other.
—
Rascal Kemble-Curry,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2025
Also, the Heat held the NBA’s 14th-worst record at the start of the skid and now has the league’s eighth-worst record this season.
—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held
Verb
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Allowance clutched in hot hands, the neighborhood kids come together to choose among ice pops, Italian ice, and all kinds of colorful ice cream treats.
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Women clutched photographs of sons and brothers killed in the war — many of them fighting for Hezbollah — while others held photographs of Nasrallah or Iran’s Khamenei.
Verb
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For ordinary users, this means more personal information is collected, passed through more systems and retained in more databases, all in the name of preventing crime.
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Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004, at least 80% of the entrance fees paid onsite must be retained and used at the national park where the fees are collected.
Verb
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Williams says the man was the sole occupant of the residence and is believed to have been in the home illegally.
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Even those believed to be on the guest list appear to know very little.
Verb
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Flames raced through rows of vehicles at a Rancho Cordova salvage yard Friday evening, engulfing between 50 and 100 vehicles before more than 70 firefighters contained the blaze and kept it from spreading to neighboring businesses.
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Last July, the Reno Police Department in Nevada said in a news release that a truck shipment managed by Ceva Logistics that contained about $15 million in semiconductors and Apple products was stolen.
Verb
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Bordenave-Jenkins reportedly had plans to take family members to church on Sunday before visiting Knott’s Berry Farm with a cousin this week.
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The three children, who had no life-threatening injuries, were then taken to a hospital for evaluation and observation, the outlet reported.
Verb
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The company remains family-owned, with Alice Chen, Roger’s daughter, taking over as chief executive in 2018 and Jonson Chen, Roger’s son, serving as chairman.
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At the end of a two-week trial, the verdict went strongly in favor of Maria Avila, who was viciously attacked by Hades, a 200-pound Caucasian shepherd owned by Brown, while emptying trash outside the singer’s Tarzana, California house.
Verb
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Textron and the participating pilots also have to coordinate with the Special Olympics organizers to make sure all the athletes are accommodated appropriately.
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Extreme weather that experts say may be fueled by climate change has become a concern for producers, who say the problem should be accommodated with a more predictable purchase price.
Verb
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In second grade, Hung completed a yearlong math class in three months and grasped pre-algebra in third grade, said Choi, a longtime tutor who began teaching her son during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The drive to define the face as a data point, something to be grasped and controlled, underpins the bureaucracy of the modern nation-state, in which faces are surveyed, categorized, and stored in digital banks.
Cite this Entry
“Held.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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