hold – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of hold

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to hold the line
Participle: held the line
Gerund: holding the line

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

Ihold the line
youhold the line
he;she;itholds the line
wehold the line
youhold the line
theyhold the line

Perfect

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

Past

Iheld the line
youheld the line
he;she;itheld the line
weheld the line
youheld the line
theyheld the line

Pluperfect

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

Future

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

Future Perfect

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

Subjunctive

Present

Ihold the line
youhold the line
he;she;ithold the line
wehold the line
youhold the line
theyhold the line

Perfect

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

Imperfect

Iheld the line
youheld the line
he;she;itheld the line
weheld the line
youheld the line
theyheld the line

Pluperfect

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

Conditional

Present

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

Perfect

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

Imperative

youhold the line
weLet's hold the line
youhold the line

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

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

Perfect

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

Past

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

Pluperfect

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

Future

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

Future Perfect

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

Conditional

Present

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

Perfect

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

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)