held
verb
simple past tense and a past participle of hold.
held
1 American
[held]
/ hɛld /
verb
Held
2
American
[held]
/ hɛld /
noun
held
British
/ hɛld /
verb
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Anything that's held is controlled or kept by someone (or something). A city, for example, might be held by an attacking army. A rebel-held town is occupied by an invading group of rebels, and a Republican-held government is controlled by that particular political party. When Americans win so many medals in the Olympics that they break a world record, you might hear it described as a US-held record. Held comes from the Old English haldan, "to possess, contain, or rule."
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:
Blau, Bhutani and other coauthors are inventors on patent applications held by Stanford University involving 15-PGDH inhibition for cartilage and tissue rejuvenation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
An international conference on plague and other infectious diseases will meanwhile be held in Irkutsk on October 21-22.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
She became the editor of Panorama in 2016, a position she held for the next four years.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Katz and Junger sued, accusing their ex-bosses of discrimination and retaliation, and held a press conference.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Then, as quickly as we could for the press of people, Betsie and I made our way to the rear of the dormitory room where we held our worship “service.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Held in pre-trial detention ever since, Goktas is facing charges of insulting Erdogan and incitement to public hatred, with prosecutors later adding an extra charge of praising crime and criminals, according to the indictment.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Held on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul –- a vast mountain lake in northern Kyrgyzstan -- athletes have been competing in dozens of disciplines: from intellectual board games to arm-wrestling.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Held at the 1971 crab derby in Crisfield, Md., it drew less attention than sailboat races, greased pig contests and the crowning of Miss Crustacean.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Held at USC, the event honors storytellers across genres, hosting readings, screenings and performances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
Held in the architecturally magnificent Crystal Palace, the “Great Exhibition of Works of Industry of all Nations” was a celebration of technology and progress.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions 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.
