hold down
Britishverb
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to restrain or control
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informal to manage to retain or keep possession of
to hold down two jobs at once
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Also, keep down . Limit, restrain, as in Please hold down the noise . [First half of 1500s] Also see keep down .
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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.
Dame Rachel said that parents have told her of the "impossible choices" they have made when "splitting time between caring for their seriously ill and disabled children and trying to hold down a job".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Tim Cook was no stranger to Apple’s earnings calls even before he was asked to temporarily hold down the CEO post for an ailing Steve Jobs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
Midfielder Nico Gonzalez joined City from Porto for £50m last January but has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
He said that other policies that help hold down Part D costs remain in place and that seniors should be able to find lower premiums if they switch plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
For a moment they were silent, facing each other, their shoulders thrown back, their lips compressed to hold down the mounting impulse to laugh.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
