behold
Americanverb (used with object)
-
beholds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
beheld,
past participle, past
-
beholding
present participle
interjection
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
beholdsimple
-
beholdssimple
-
have beheldperfect
-
has beheldperfect
-
am beholdingprogressive
-
are beholdingprogressive
-
is beholdingprogressive
-
have been beholdingperfect progressive
-
has been beholdingperfect progressive
Past
-
beheldsimple
-
had beheldperfect
-
was beholdingprogressive
-
were beholdingprogressive
-
had been beholdingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of behold
First recorded before 900; Middle English beholden, Old English behaldan “to keep”; see be-, hold 1
Explanation
To behold is to see. You could behold the changing sky as the sun sets. It’s old-fashioned and fancy, so magicians like to use it, as in “Behold! I shall pull a rabbit out of my hat!” Have you ever heard "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? That can help you remember that to behold is to see something and to hold it in your attention. To behold is to look intensely — it’s much more than a glance. A good example of beholding is when you take the time to check out something special like that beautiful sunset, or a bunny hopping out of a hat and handing out candy.
Vocabulary lists containing behold
"Frankenstein"
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Awkward
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Lo and behold, four weeks later my phone started to ping with the tracking device on the move to an address in Winstanley in Wigan," he said.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
It’s wonderful to behold their many primitive-looking screens, buttons, dials and keyboards, and know that these same tools were responsible for the safety of the astronauts as they blasted into the unknown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Being able to listen to various attempts as the band and producer George Martin build “I’m Looking Through You” from the ground up, for example, is a wonder to behold.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The uprising is a sight to behold, and this summer I went to Albania and beheld it.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Grandpa was really pleased, for Miss Love in the store window was a sight to behold.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Arriving at the high point of the journey, elevation-wise, Ms. Kessler beholds the Cruz de Ferro, an iron cross regarded as an important source of spiritual uplift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
This experience is reciprocal: the religious believer beholds the deity and is beheld by the deity in turn.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022
The performance will be conducted by Carl St.Clair and will feature Tess Altiveros as the Child who beholds the magic spells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2019
Theologically speaking, pride turns itself inward; it beholds the self and deems it sufficient.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2018
The impression left on the mind by the great majority of handsomely bound novels is like that of a man who beholds his natural face in a glass.
From Essays on Modern Novelists by William Lyon Phelps
Two wardrobe changes meant that we beheld three glittering gowns in all, beginning with the fluffy canary-yellow number she emerged in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2025
At least, it did until very recently, when we fully beheld the wretched manifestations of Meta’s desperate A.I. push.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2025
She hiked uphill from her riverside worksite and beheld a vista of sheer mountain slopes unbroken by rivers or streams.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2024
It remains firmly planted in our hearts, just as it was in the hearts of the shepherds when they first beheld the baby in the manger.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 24, 2023
The quiet he beheld reinforced his belief in his decision to hold the militia at bay.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
There is a particular thrill in beholding a portrait as old and as lifelike as Isidora’s, just over a foot in height and 6 inches wide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
“The Times posed the question, ‘Will Swift ever voluntarily step away from the spotlight?’ as if beholding a woman in full flow and power invariably summoned the fantasy of her involuntary removal from the scene.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
These products have been verified compliant with modern standards for beholding eclipses.
From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2024
This strange association of items creates the sensation of beholding the remains of a scientific experiment, seen through a magnifying lens.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
Her frantic joy at beholding me again moved me much.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
