behold

American  

[bih-hohld] / bɪˈhoʊld /

verb (used with object)

• beholds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• beheld,
  past participle,  past
• beholding
  present participle

1. 

   to observe; look at; see.

   Synonyms:

   discern, watch, view, regard

---

interjection

1. look; see.

   And, behold, three sentries of the King did appear.

behold British  

/ bɪˈhəʊld /

verb

1. to look (at); observe

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• beholder
  noun
• beholdable
  adjective
• unbeholdable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• beholding
  present
• beheld
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• behold
  simple
• beholds
  simple
• have beheld
  perfect
• has beheld
  perfect
• am beholding
  progressive
• are beholding
  progressive
• is beholding
  progressive
• have been beholding
  perfect progressive
• has been beholding
  perfect progressive

Past

• beheld
  simple
• had beheld
  perfect
• was beholding
  progressive
• were beholding
  progressive
• had been beholding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will behold
  simple
• will have beheld
  perfect
• will be beholding
  progressive
• will have been beholding
  perfect progressive

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

behold beholds beheld beholding

In an era of parasocial pop stardom, the radical honesty of Cyrus’ approach — her clear-eyed appraisal of the relationship that binds an idol and her audience — was kind of a thrill to behold.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

With AI images bleeding into the real world at a pace none of us can keep up with, there’s human marvel to behold in Anderson’s madness.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

The uprising is a sight to behold, and this summer I went to Albania and beheld it.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Our critic raved that “Both indoors and out, Porter proved that there was beauty where one was inclined to behold it. This show is an invaluable opportunity to do just that.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

At the sound of boots on stone, the Lord of the Iron Islands lifted his eyes to behold his last living son.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

“For the listener, who listens in the snow, / And, nothing himself, beholds / Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

This experience is reciprocal: the religious believer beholds the deity and is beheld by the deity in turn.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

In the aria, Sara, Duchess of Nottingham, is hiding her tears from everyone but the audience as she beholds in the tragic tale of the Fair Rosamund a reflection of her own lovelorn grief.

From Washington Post ● May 6, 2021

Two-thirds into “Drifts” the narrator realizes she is pregnant, and as she beholds her “exquisitely tender and changing body” her diction stoops slightly into the hackneyed.

From New York Times ● May 19, 2020

But God beholds the man's heart, and not his possessions.

From The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of ?lfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I. by Abbot of Eynsham Aelfric

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

I indeed perceptibly gained on it, and when, after nearly two days’ journey, I beheld my enemy at no more than a mile distant, my heart bounded within me.

From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

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

In the context of the story, the narrator is describing his descent into insanity after beholding the most grotesque, ungodly beast in existence.

From Salon ● Mar. 18, 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

Defying the storm that threatened, the clouds that curtained the sun now pass, and we three survivors of a long-ago tragedy stand together in silence, beholding one another in the sun’s light.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---