Hold down means to keep something pressed or in place so it can't move or rise: hold down a key, hold a tent down. The second common meaning is hold down a job: to manage to keep it. People say this when it takes effort, alongside studying, small children or illness; in the negative, it describes someone who never stays anywhere for long: He can't hold down a job.
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hold down + key/button; hold somebody/something down; hold down a job; hold down prices/costs
- Hold down the Shift key and click each file you want to copy.
- It took two of us to hold the tent down in the strong wind.
- With three small kids, she still managed to hold down a full-time job.
What changed
First versionThe lid keeps opening. Can you hold down it while I find the tape?
RevisionThe lid keeps opening. Can you hold it down while I find the tape?
If the object is a pronoun (it, him, them), it goes in the middle: hold it down. Putting it at the end, hold down it, is a common mistake. With a noun, both orders work: hold down the lid and hold the lid down.
Hold back means to stop something coming out (tears, laughter, information), while hold down means to physically press something or keep it in place: She held back her tears, but He held the lid down. With prices, hold down means to stop them rising: The shop held down its prices all year.
Your turn
To take a screenshot, ___ the power button and the volume button together for two seconds.
Show the answer
hold down — The buttons have to be pressed and held for two seconds, which is hold down. Hold up means to raise something or to delay it, and neither fits phone buttons.
Explain how to do something on a phone or computer. Say which button you need to hold down and for how long.
To restart my laptop, I hold down the power button for ten seconds.
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