beheld

[bih-held]

See more synonyms for beheld on Thesaurus.com

verb

simple past tense and past participle of behold.

Related formsun·be·held, adjective

behold

[bih-hohld]

verb (used with object), be·held, be·hold·ing.

to observe; look at; see.

interjection

look; see: And, behold, three sentries of the King did appear.

Origin of behold

before 900; Middle English beholden, Old English behaldan to keep. See be-, hold¹

Related formsbe·hold·a·ble, adjectivebe·hold·er, nounun·be·hold·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for behold

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1. regard, gaze upon, view; watch; discern.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for beheld

spy, consider, scan, catch, see, witness, discern, eye, flash, note, notice, spot, regard, watch, perceive, contemplate, observe, descry, distinguish, earmark

Examples from the Web for beheld

Contemporary Examples of beheld

Thirty years later, Miller beheld her in another proceeding and asked the board not to parole her.
The First Modern School Shooter Feels Responsible for the Rest
Michael Daly
May 30, 2014
Upon their arrival in Rockaway on Friday, the sisters were stunned by the destruction they beheld.
Sandy’s Rockaway Victims Pause to Vote, Press On With Recovery Efforts
Michael Daly
November 7, 2012

Historical Examples of beheld

Again I beheld Mr Clayton immersed in the doings of the place.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
The bitterest hour that I have known, was that in which you fell, and I beheld your fall.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
That I am not now; nor have I been from the moment I beheld this angel of a woman.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Now Vavasor was in reality not a little disgusted at what he beheld.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
She can be the most dignified young woman on occasion that I ever beheld.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden

British Dictionary definitions for beheld

beheld

verb

the past tense and past participle of behold

behold

verb -holds, -holding or -held (often used in the imperative to draw attention to something) archaic, or literary

to look (at); observe

Derived Formsbeholder, noun

Word Origin for behold

Old English bihealdan; related to Old High German bihaltan, Dutch behouden; see be-, hold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for beheld

past tense and past participle of behold.

behold

Old English bihaldan (West Saxon behealdan) "give regard to, hold in view," also "to keep hold of, to belong to," from be- + haldan, healdan (see hold). Related: Beheld; beholding. A common West Germanic compound, cf. Old Saxon bihaldan "hold, keep," Old Frisian bihalda, Old High German bihaltan, German behalten, but "[t]he application to watching, looking, is confined to English" [OED].