hold down
Britishverb
-
to restrain or control
-
informal to manage to retain or keep possession of
to hold down two jobs at once
-
Also, keep down . Limit, restrain, as in Please hold down the noise . [First half of 1500s] Also see keep down .
-
Work at or discharge one's duties satisfactorily, as in He managed to hold down two jobs at the same time . [ Colloquial ; 1800s]
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.
The government also said the move is intended to "directly limit inflation" by holding down "a major component of everyday costs".
From BBC
For most of that time, Otieno was on the floor being held down by a group that at one point appeared to include 10 people.
From Seattle Times
In China and Hong Kong April's weak import figures held down stocks for a second straight session, as investors fret the reopening rebound is fading into an uneven recovery.
From Reuters
Alvarez tried to flee, but was held down by several people on the scene, the police chief said.
From Washington Times
Mr Alvarez allegedly attempted to flee the crash site, but was restrained and "held down" by people at the scene.
From BBC
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.
