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.
Bujard says more must be done to support people in the "rush hour of life", such as those trying to hold down jobs and raise young families.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
That could hold down returns in the second half of 2026.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
But can the company hold down utility bills?
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
And we spoke with a middle-aged woman with schizophrenia and panic disorder who lives with her brother’s family because she can’t hold down a job and fears being left alone in a nursing home.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
At my question about them, Dad said they were “dusting”: spreading rock dust around to hold down the explosive mixture of coal dust and air.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
