hold – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of hold

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to hold
Participle: held
Gerund: holding

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

Ihold
youhold
he;she;itholds
wehold
youhold
theyhold

Perfect

Ihave held; holden
youhave held; holden
he;she;ithas held; holden
wehave held; holden
youhave held; holden
theyhave held; holden

Past

Iheld
youheld
he;she;itheld
weheld
youheld
theyheld

Pluperfect

Ihad held; holden
youhad held; holden
he;she;ithad held; holden
wehad held; holden
youhad held; holden
theyhad held; holden

Future

Iwill hold
youwill hold
he;she;itwill hold
wewill hold
youwill hold
theywill hold

Future Perfect

Iwill have held; holden
youwill have held; holden
he;she;itwill have held; holden
wewill have held; holden
youwill have held; holden
theywill have held; holden

Subjunctive

Present

Ihold
youhold
he;she;ithold
wehold
youhold
theyhold

Perfect

Ihave held; holden
youhave held; holden
he;she;ithave held; holden
wehave held; holden
youhave held; holden
theyhave held; holden

Imperfect

Iheld
youheld
he;she;itheld
weheld
youheld
theyheld

Pluperfect

Ihad held; holden
youhad held; holden
he;she;ithad held; holden
wehad held; holden
youhad held; holden
theyhad held; holden

Conditional

Present

Iwould hold
youwould hold
he;she;itwould hold
wewould hold
youwould hold
theywould hold

Perfect

Iwould have held; holden
youwould have held; holden
he;she;itwould have held; holden
wewould have held; holden
youwould have held; holden
theywould have held; holden

Imperative

youhold
weLet's hold
youhold

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam holding
youare holding
he;she;itis holding
weare holding
youare holding
theyare holding

Perfect

Ihave been holding
youhave been holding
he;she;ithas been holding
wehave been holding
youhave been holding
theyhave been holding

Past

Iwas holding
youwere holding
he;she;itwas holding
wewere holding
youwere holding
theywere holding

Pluperfect

Ihad been holding
youhad been holding
he;she;ithad been holding
wehad been holding
youhad been holding
theyhad been holding

Future

Iwill be holding
youwill be holding
he;she;itwill be holding
wewill be holding
youwill be holding
theywill be holding

Future Perfect

Iwill have been holding
youwill have been holding
he;she;itwill have been holding
wewill have been holding
youwill have been holding
theywill have been holding

Conditional

Present

Iwould be holding
youwould be holding
he;she;itwould be holding
wewould be holding
youwould be holding
theywould be holding

Perfect

Iwould have been holding
youwould have been holding
he;she;itwould have been holding
wewould have been holding
youwould have been holding
theywould have been holding

Other

Verbs similar to 'hold'

bold, fold, gold, hod, hole, holk, hood, mold, bald, behold,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

grasp or grip
grasp
have and keep possession of something
possess
not to move
stop
not to give way
persevere
restrain oneself
desist
take place
happen
to cease to proceed or act
absist, belay, blin, break off, cease, cess, cheese it, come to an end, desist, discontinue, forbear, halt, have done with, leave off, let up, rest, stanch, staunch, stay, stop, surcease, terminate
to have ownership of
have, own, possess
to cease moving; to come to a stand or standstill
anchor, astand, blin, brake, cease, draw up, grind to a halt, halt, stall, stay, stop
to hold firmly, particularly with the hand
begrasp, begrip, belock, clasp, clench, clinch, cling, clutch, enclasp, fang, fondle, glaum, grab, grabble, grasp, grip, hang on, hold on, hold tight, nim, seize, stranglehold, take
to exist; to be a reality
bechance, befall, belimp, betide, betime, chance, come about, come to pass, crop up, evene, eventuate, go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, take place, transpire
have
possess, retain, keep, occupy, own
continue
endure, persist, remain, maintain, support, sustain, last, bear
restrain
confine, detain, hinder, deactivate

Antonyms

have
lack, need, miss, lose
continue
stop, halt, desist, interrupt
restrain
release, unbind, loosen

Additional Information

Etymology

1. O.E. haldan (Anglian), healdan (W.Saxon), class VII strong verb (past tense heold, pp. healden), from P.Gmc. *khaldanan (cf. O.N. halda, Du. houden, Ger. halten "to hold," Goth. haldan "to tend"), originally "to keep, tend, watch over" (as cattle), later "to have." Ancestral sense is preserved in behold. Holdup, in sense of "a stoppage," is 1837 in Amer.Eng.; sense of "stopping by force and robbing" is 1851, also in Amer.Eng., probably strengthened by notion of "holding up hands." To hold (one's) own is from c.1330. No holds barred "with all restrictions removed" is first recorded 1942 in theater jargon but is ultimately from wrestling. Phrase hold your horses "be patient" is from 1844. Hold out (v.) is from 1907. The original pp. holden was replaced by held beginning 16c., but survives in some legal jargon and in beholden.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Germanic *haldaną
4. Proto-West Germanic *haldan
5. Old English healdan
6. Middle English holden
7. English hold
8. Derived from Middle English holden, derived from Old English healdan, derived from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, derived from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to tend, herd”), maybe derived from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”). Doublet of halt.
9. Cognates
10. *West Frisian hâlde
11. *Low German holden, holen
12. *Dutch houden
13. *German halten
14. *Danish
15. *Norwegian Bokmål holde
16. *Norwegian Nynorsk halda.
17. Compare Latin celer (“quick”), Tocharian B käl- (“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω (kéllō, “to drive”), Sanskrit कलयति (kalayati, “to impel”). See: Middle English 'holden', Old English 'healdan', Proto-Germanic '*haldaną', Low Saxon 'holden', Dutch 'houden', German, old spelling 'halten', Norwegian 'holde', Norwegian, nynorsk 'halda', Sanskrit 'कलयति'.

Verbs referencing "hold"

Norwegian, nynorsk halda, Luxembourgish halen, German, old spelling halten, Cimbrian haltan, Danish holde, Norwegian holde, Sranan hori, Frisian, Saterlandic hoolde, Sanskrit कलयति, Sanskrit कालयति.

Sample Sentences

  • [...] flat quilt, covering a very thin mattress, spread like a surgical plaster on a most inaccessible shelf. But that this was the state-room concerning which Charles Dickens, Esquire, and Lady, had held daily and nightly conferences for at least four months preceding: that this could by any possibility be that small snug chamber of the imagination, which Charles Dickens, Esquire, with the spirit of [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • “ I can't make trade that way—I positively ca n't, Mr. Shelby, ” said the other, holding up a glass of wine between his eye and the light. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] is a very striking time on shipboard. Afterwards, and when its novelty had long worn off, it never ceased to have a peculiar interest and charm for me. The gloom through which the great black mass holds its direct and certain course; the rushing water, plainly heard, but dimly seen; the broad, white, glistening track, that follows in the vessel 's wake; the men on the look-out forward, who would be [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] completely dressed too, with a huge pea-coat on, and a pair of boots such as no weak man in his senses could ever have got into. I found myself standing, when a gleam of consciousness came upon me, holding on to something. I do n't know what. I think it was the boatswain: or it may have been the pump: or possibly the cow. I ca n't say how long I had been there; whether a day or a minute. I [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] or comfortable cordial; and nothing better occurring to me, at the moment, than hot brandy-and-water, I procured a tumbler full without delay. It being impossible to stand or sit without holding on, they were all heaped together in one corner of a long sofa—a fixture extending entirely across the cabin—where they clung to each other in momentary expectation of being drowned. When I [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] was about to administer it with many consolatory expressions to the nearest sufferer, what was my dismay to see them all roll slowly down to the other end ! And when I staggered to that end, and held out the glass once more, how immensely baffled were my good intentions by the ship giving another lurch, and their all rolling back again ! I suppose I dodged them up and down this sofa for at [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • He was waited upon over the factory, shown the machinery by George, who, in high spirits, talked so fluently, held himself so erect, looked so handsome and manly, that his master began to feel an uneasy consciousness of inferiority. What business had his slave to be marching round the country, inventing [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] so erect, looked so handsome and manly, that his master began to feel an uneasy consciousness of inferiority. What business had his slave to be marching round the country, inventing machines, and holding up his head among gentlemen ? He'd soon put a stop to it. He'd take him back, and put him to hoeing and digging, and “ see if he'd step about so smart. ” Accordingly, the manufacturer and all hands [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ How glad I am ! — why don't you smile ? — and look at Harry—how he grows. ” The boy stood shyly regarding his father through his curls, holding close to the skirts of his mother's dress. “ Isn't he beautiful ? ” said Eliza, lifting his long curls and kissing him. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] whip so near the horse that the creature was frightened. I asked him to stop, as pleasant as I could,—he just kept right on. I begged him again, and then he turned on me, and began striking me. I held his hand, and then he screamed and kicked and ran to his father, and told him that I was fighting him. He came in a rage, and said he'd teach me who was my master; and he tied me to a tree, and cut [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • ♪ Something hot, holds a lot ♪ ♪ Won't leave me alone ♪ ♪ I need a girl to stop the world ♪ (Once Upon a Time in Hollyweird)