hold

To grasp or grip.

Hold the pencil like this.

But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…].

To contain or store.

This package holds six bottles.

To maintain or keep to a position or state.

Hold my coat for me.

The general ordered the colonel to hold his position at all costs.

To maintain or keep to a position or state.

Hold a table for us at 7:00.

To maintain or keep to a position or state.

Hold the elevator.

A grasp or grip.

Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern.

Keep a firm hold on the handlebars.

An act or instance of holding.

Can I have a hold of the baby?

A place where animals are held for safety

An order that something is to be reserved or delayed, limiting or preventing how it can be dealt with.

Senator X placed a hold on the bill, then went to the library and placed a hold on a book.

Because there were no “launch commit criteria” regarding surface booster temperatures that might cause a hold on the launch, the ice team did not report the temperatures to the launch controllers.

Something reserved or kept.

We have a hold here for you.

The cargo area of a ship or aircraft (often holds or cargo hold).

We watched our luggage being loaded into the hold of the plane.