hold one's breath (Meaning)

to cause to be or remain in a place, position, or situation, to make accept a legal or moral duty, consider sense 3, judge, to cause to be conducted, to bear the pressure of, to hold responsible, to stop counting during a countdown, to keep in one's possession, to maintain the current position or situation, to have in the mind or express as a judgment, opinion, or belief, full or immediate control, to keep or restrict by force, to assemble for and carry on the activity of, the act or manner of holding, to wait in anxious anticipation, to have as a privilege or position of responsibility, to be left empty-handed, to delay temporarily the handling of, to speak at length, to have or keep in the grasp, to have illicit drug material in one's possession, to resist the offensive efforts or advance of, accommodate, to make liable or accountable or bound to an obligation, to support in a particular position or keep from falling or moving, a sudden motionless posture at the end of a dance, touch sense 4, to have in mind, a manner of grasping the opponent in wrestling, to engage one's hand with another's especially as an expression of affection, something that may be grasped as a support, the interior of a ship below decks, to remain fastened, touch sense 8, to slow down or stop for a moment, to keep in custody, to have strong appeal to, the cargo deck of a ship, to maintain (a certain condition, situation, or course of action) without change, to prevent from some action, to agree with or approve of, stoppage, halt, to give firm assent to, a bond that affects or controls, to qualify for comparison with, a note or rest in music that is continued longer than usual, to keep under restraint, to refrain from an act, to continue in the same way or to the same degree, to cover (a part of the body) with one or both hands (as for protection or comfort), to restrain the liberty of, advocate, defend, the cargo compartment of a plane, delay entry 2 sense 2, to continue unchanged, to rule as the holding of a case, to be able to consume easily or without undue effect, to think of in a particular way, to produce or sponsor especially as a public exhibition, fortress, stronghold, to derive right or title, to be the center of attention among friends or admirers, to restrain especially by keeping back, to avoid emitting or letting out, to be true, to keep the interest or devotion of, to have or maintain in the grasp, something that may be grasped or held, to keep silent, to cover (the ears) to prevent hearing, fermata, prison, a manner of grasping an opponent in wrestling, aim, point, to stand up under criticism or analysis, to restrain as or as if a captive, to maintain position, the time between the onset and the release (see release entry 2 sense 3c) of a vocal articulation (see articulation sense 3b), to be or remain valid, to keep up without interruption, such as, to be able to drink (alcoholic beverages) without becoming noticeably drunk, to forbear an intended or threatened action, the act or the manner of grasping something (as in the hands or arms), to carry on as a group, an order or indication that something is to be reserved or delayed, to have possession or ownership of or have at one's disposal, to bear or carry oneself, to maintain a grasp on something, to have as a mark of distinction, full comprehension, a delay in a countdown (as in launching a spacecraft), confinement, custody, to have a dominant influence, to keep back from use, to enclose and keep in a container or within bounds, to prevent free expression of, to maintain occupation, control, or defense of, to go ahead as one has been going, to prevent from leaving or getting away, to keep as or as if a captive, to maintain a firm position, to prevent oneself from breathing temporarily, to take care of usual affairs, to have lawful possession or ownership of, to have as a principal or essential feature or attribute, to receive and contain, in a state or period of indefinite suspension, stronghold sense 1, a nonphysical bond that attaches, restrains, or constrains or by which something is affected, controlled, or dominated, support entry 1 sense 4a, sustain, the cargo compartment of an airplane, to have by right, to maintain one's position, to have in store, to cause to be carried on, in a state of interruption during a telephone call when one party switches to another line without totally disconnecting the other party, to bear alone a responsibility that should have been shared by others