hold one's own, to
hold one's own
to do as well as anyone else. I can hold my own in a footrace any day. She was unable to hold her own, and she had to quit.
See also: hold, own
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
hold one's own
Do reasonably well despite opposition, competition, or criticism. For example, The team held its own against their opponents, or Rumors often hold their own against facts. [First half of 1300s]
See also: hold, own
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
hold (one's) own
To do reasonably well despite difficulty or criticism.
See also: hold, own
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
hold one's own, to
To stand one’s ground successfully against attack, competition, or some other pressure. The own here refers to position or advantage. In use since the sixteenth century, the expression was a cliché by the nineteenth century. It appears in a famous speech by Winston Churchill in 1942, during World War II: “Let me, however, make this clear. . . . We mean to hold our own. I have not become the King’s First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire.” An alternate synonym is to hold one’s ground. James Patterson used it in his thriller, London Bridges (2004), in a response to a bomb thrown at a building: “A decision had been made not to abandon the building, to hold our ground.”
See also: hold
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- hold with
- hold with (something)
- get hold of
- get hold of (one)
- get hold of somebody/something
- Will you hold(, please)?
- hold it
- Hold it!
- a hold on a strong
- hold your whisht