hold forth
phr. v..phr. v.. to talk for a long time about a subject you know well, often in a way that shows you think your opinion is important.
phr. v.. to speak at length and often dogmatically on a particular subject; typically used to describe a speaker who dominates a conversation or social setting.
He likes to hold forth on politics during dinner.
The professor held forth for nearly an hour about the history of the local architecture.
The CEO held forth on the virtues of corporate synergy while the rest of the board members checked their watches in silence.
- Particles
- forth
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- hold + forth (+ on/about + object)
usually followed by the preposition 'on' or 'about' to indicate the topic of discussion.
contrast with 'chat' or 'discuss' to show the one-sided nature of 'holding forth'; it implies a performance rather than a dialogue.
He held forth his ideas to the group.He held forth on his ideas to the group.this phrasal verb is intransitive and requires 'on' or 'about' before the topic; it does not take a direct object.