hold against

Idioms

Think badly of someone because of some fault or occurrence. For example, Even if you're late, I won't hold it against you, or She backed right into his new car, so he's bound to hold it against her. Also see bear a grudge.

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:

hold against

The higher the rating, the less capital an insurer must hold against a bond.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

That allows the bank to reduce the amount of capital it must hold against the loans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

He told us the worst asset to hold against this backdrop, and a reasonable target for gold allocations.

From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026

The old criticisms no longer applicable, coaches recruiting against Cronin will always find something to hold against him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2022

It gave Chicago a light to hold against the gathering dark of economic calamity.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023