hold your peace

hold (one's) peace

To stay quiet despite wanting to say something. Just hold your peace if you don't have anything constructive to add. I knew that anything I said would just make her angry, so I decided to hold my peace.
See also: hold, peace
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hold your peace

remain silent about something.
See also: hold, peace
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ˌhold your ˈpeace/ˈtongue

(old-fashioned) say nothing; remain silent although you would like to give your opinion: We don’t want anyone to know what’s happened, so you’d better hold your tongue — do you understand? I didn’t want to start another argument, so I held my peace.
See also: hold, peace, tongue
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • hold (one's) peace
  • hold one's peace
  • hold peace
  • hold your peace/tongue
  • keep
  • keep (one's) peace
  • anything/nothing/something like that
  • anything like that
  • anything in it for (one)
  • anything
References in classic literature
'If you're not an idiot,' said Miss Brass harshly, 'hold your peace.'
The Old Curiosity Shop
heart, do not ever hold your peace this fluttering, this love!
The Language and Literature of the Sea
But you hold your peace because you want the new Wales boss to do well.
When the World Cup qualifiers start and they stupidly get someone sent off against Belgium and then ship six sloppy goals to a so-so Serbian side, to more or less end their qualification hopes after two matches, you hold your peace.
Blaming boss not the way to end problems; ANDY GILPIN Post Sport Columnist
Lukes must feel like the person who voices an objection when the marriage celebrant warns the gathering to "speak now or forever hold your peace."
`I do' - object, that is
Kathy Beirne ("I should have told you so," pages 28-32) tackles the delicate question of whether to speak now or forever hold your peace when worried about a family member's unhealthy relationship, while Mike Daley ("Off to a bad start," pages 24-27) reflects on the presence of original sin in the family context.
Balancing acts
A bright chestnut son of Hold Your Peace, Meadowlake was bred in Florida by Jaime Carrion.
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