holding

1 of 2

noun

hold·​ing ˈhōl-diŋ 

1

a

: land held especially by a vassal or tenant

b

: property (such as land or securities) owned

—usually used in plural

2

: a ruling of a court especially on an issue of law raised in a case compare dictum

3

: something that holds

holding

2 of 2

adjective

1

: having the effect of holding back or delaying something

the [war] represented a holding action against the spread of world Communism

—Sidney Offit

2

: intended for usually temporary storage or retention

a holding tank

Synonyms

Noun

• doom
• finding
• judgment
• judgement
• ruling
• sentence

Examples of holding in a Sentence

Noun

penalized 10 yards for holding

the holding of “not guilty” took everyone by surprise

Adjective

The troops were engaged in a holding action until reinforcements could arrive.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the three months ending on Sept. 30, Berkshire shed roughly a quarter of its remaining stake in Apple to $69.9 billion — the fourth consecutive quarter of cuts to its holdings of the iPhone maker. —Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 5 Nov. 2024

In his first term, Trump jettisoned traditional norms around presidents walling off their personal interests and instead retained his business holdings — including a Washington, D.C., hotel where foreign leaders booked rooms. —David Ingram, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024

Adjective

This is a great opportunity to take advantage of lower cabinet storage which is often studier with more holding room. —Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2024

Bryce Callahan was flagged for a non-holding call that nullified a pick and led to K.C.’s first score. —Nick Canepacolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing holding

• hand-holding
• holding company
• holding pattern
• there's no holding him back

Kids Definition

holding

noun

hold·​ing

ˈhōl-diŋ

1

: property (as land or stocks) owned

—usually used in plural

decided to sell her holdings

2

: a ruling of a court

Legal Definition

holding

1 of 2 noun

hold·​ing

1

: a ruling of a court upon an issue of law raised in a case : the pronouncement of law supported by the reasoning in a court's opinion compare decision, dictum, disposition, finding, judgment, opinion, ruling, verdict

2

: any property that is owned or possessed

—usually used in pl.

an increase in the company's holdings

holding

2 of 2 adjective

: intended for temporary custody or detention

a holding facility

a holding cell