Hold back
2 meanings · select one to explore
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Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To stop or prevent something from happening or being expressed
Example sentence
She tried to hold back her tears.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
hold back tears
hold back laughter
hold back the crowd
hold back information
hold back the truth
hold back emotions
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
She held back her tears. ✅ (Correct)
She held her tears back. ✅ (Correct)