PHRASAL VERB OF THE DAY      {HOLD}

{Hold against}

[consider something, especially a past crime, misdeed, etc, as being to somebody’s discredit]
"I know that you spent a year in prison, but I won’t hold it against you as long as you behave yourself while you are working for me."

{Hold back}

1 [refuse or be slow to provide something that is wanted by somebody]
"I don’t understand why he is holding back the examination results, especially since the students keep asking for them."
2 [prevent or hinder the progress of somebody or something]
"Her lack of qualifications is almost certain to hold her back sooner or later."


{Hold back (from)}

[be slow or reluctant to do something, especially because of shyness, fear, etc]
"Two of the horses immediately came over to us, but the third held back, more cautious than his companions." / "I held back from answering the letter for as long as I could."

{Hold down}

1 [prevent a price, figure, level, etc, from rising]
"I won’t be able to hold down my expenses once I have to start using the car."
2 [force somebody to live with reduced freedom]
"The faces of the men and women showed that they had been held down by a dictatorship for long enough."

{Hold forth (on)}

[speak on a subject at length or in public; often used in a derogatory way]
"If that ridiculous woman starts holding forth on the dangers of stamp collecting, I’m going home."

{Hold in}

[repress the expression of an emotion]
"She did her best to hide her excitement, but eventually she just couldn’t hold it in."

{Hold off 1}

1 [not arrive, fall or occur, especially of bad weather]
"You were lucky that the rain held off for your tennis match."
2 [refrain from doing something, especially attacking]
"Our men held off for the length of the cease-fire."

{Hold off 2}

[resist an attack or advance]
"She always carries a big stick for holding off dogs."

{Hold on}

1 [wait or stop; often used in the imperative]
"If you hold on a minute, I’ll come with you." / "Hold on! I’d like some of that apple-pie too, you know!"
2 [survive, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation]
"We won’t be able to hold on for much longer without fresh supplies of food and medicine."

{Hold on to}

[keep or retain something, especially instead of selling or returning it]
"Do you mind if I hold on to the book you lent me for another week or so?"

{Hold out}

1 [continue to resist]
"With just a handful of weapons, we never thought we’d be able to hold out for so long."
2 [last or be sufficient]
"I’m worried about the water holding out during the trip. Do you think that we have enough?"

{Hold out (for)}

[wait, especially in the hope of a better offer]
"What will you do if the owners decide to hold out for a better price?"

{Hold out (on)}

[refuse to offer or provide something somebody needs, especially information]
"I swear I’m not holding out on you. If I knew where she was, I’d tell you."

{Hold over}

[postpone something, especially a discussion]
"In view of the time, the matter of rent increases was held over until the next meeting."

{Hold to 1}

[make somebody keep their promise]
"He said he would do anything for her if she married him, and she’s certainly holding him to it."

{Hold to 2}

[persist in holding an opinion, principle, belief, etc]
"I’ve always held to the belief that the more people have, the more they want."

{Hold up}

1 [obstruct or stop the progress of somebody or something]
"Whenever there is an accident on this stretch of the motorway, the traffic is held up for hours."
2 [seize money or valuables from a bank, post office, security van, etc, by the use of guns]
"Four armed men today held up a post office in the city centre and escaped with stamps and postal orders to the value of £6000."

{Hold with}

[approve or be in favour of a principle, fashion, habit, etc; usually used in the negative]
"She doesn’t hold with the present trend in ladies’ swimwear. She thinks it vulgar."

taken from the GLOBAL ELT ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS