The verb "to hold" can be used alone or as part of an expression. When it is used alone, the most common meaning is "to have something in your hand(s) or arm(s)". For example, "I hold my phone." or "She is holding the book". However, "to hold" has additional meanings. For example, it can mean "to host an event", such as "We will hold the celebration on Sunday." When it is used as part of an expression, it can have many different meanings. Here are a few examples: To hold someone responsible - To assign responsibility to someone. (I hold you responsible for this mess.) To hold something open - To prevent something from closing. (Can you hold the door open for me?) To hold at - To maintain a state. (We do not know if sales will continue to hold at this level.) It would be impossible to briefly summarize all the additional meanings of held.