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.
During his first year with the team, instead of being himself, he catered to what he felt the fans deserved from the person holding down the mic.
From Los Angeles Times
The friends keep it low-tech, with an alert system consisting of fishing lines attached to plastic foam and held down by weights.
In Manhattan: While standing over a subway grate at 52nd Street and Lexington Avenue, Marilyn Monroe holds down her white billowing dress for “The Seven Year Itch.”
Insurers that do a better job of holding down costs can use payments to lower premiums and offer supplemental benefits like dental care and gym memberships.
Following the financial crisis, the Fed began buying longer-term bonds in an effort to further spur the economy by holding down long-term interest rates.
From Barron's
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.
