HELD (IN) Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

held (in)

verb

Definition of held (in)

past tense of hold (in)

as in concealed

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held (in)

Verb

Faux freckles grew into a beauty trend as freckles shifted from a feature often concealed to one people deliberately recreate, often improvising with everyday makeup like brow pencils and eyeliner before dedicated products arrived.

— Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
The Gonzalès retrospective also raises the question of why this allegiance remained largely concealed for part of her early career.

— Sarah Belmont, ARTnews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of concealed

Verb

After two steadying years in the Marine Corps, McQueen made his way back to New York City with a chip on his shoulder and a smoldering anger masked by surprisingly boyish charm and boundless energy.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
Censorship masked as safety AI can cause real harm, from launching cyberattacks to generating sexualized images of children.

— Jordi Calvet-Bademunt, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of masked

Verb

The Barnes & Noble—a wide, flat building in gray brick—was obscured by an enormous construction crane.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
What resonated most for me, though, was witnessing conversations where depth of understanding unveiled perspectives previously obscured.

— Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscured

Verb

The forests are thick with spruce, their needles a deep, musty green veiled in shadows.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
The two main characters were barely veiled versions of Rob and Nick, who was living in his parents’ guesthouse at the time of the killings.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of veiled

Verb

Experts say their main concern is a possibility that some civil rights of commoner husbands and their children could be restricted as with the royals.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
On Wednesday, a federal judge restricted Homeland Security agents from carrying out sweeping field operations aimed at rooting out voter fraud in nine states, including California.

— Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of restricted

Verb

As Rubin said, the space would be striking even if it weren't shrouded in mystery after being closed for so many years.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Because their earliest years are spent shrouded in clouds of dust, these nascent stars can be hard to spot.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrouded

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

held forth

held (in)

held off

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Style

“Held (in).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20%28in%29. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of held (in)

verb

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