Definition

1. Verb:
   • To restrain or keep under control: To prevent something from increasing, moving, or becoming free.
   • To manage to keep or retain: To succeed in keeping a job or position, often implying effort is required to do so.

Usage and Examples

• To restrain or keep under control:
  • Please hold down the noise so that the neighbors can sleep.
  • We used rocks to hold down the tent in the strong wind.
• To manage to keep or retain:
  • She manages to hold down two jobs.
  • He has held down his position as manager for five years.

Advanced Usage

• "hold down the fort": To be responsible for something, such as a business or home, while someone else is away.
  • Can you hold down the fort while I'm at the meeting?

Variants and Related Words

• Hold (verb): To have or keep in the hand; to keep in a specified state.
• Holdback (noun): A thing that serves to hold something else back.

Synonyms

• Restrain: To prevent from doing something; to keep under control.
• Keep: To have or retain possession of.
• Maintain: To cause something to continue; to keep in an existing state.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Hold back: To hesitate; to prevent something from progressing.
  • Don't hold back your opinions.
• Hold on: To wait; to grip something firmly.
  • Hold on a moment, please.

Related Idioms

• Hold your horses: A phrase telling someone to stop, wait, or be patient.
  • Hold your horses! We need to check the map first.

Verb

1. restrain
   • please hold down the noise so that the neighbors can sleep
2. keep
   • She manages to hold down two jobs