ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hold with

phr. v..
C1 Advanced Oxford British English

phr. v.. to agree with or approve of an idea, habit, or way of doing things.

phr. v.. to subscribe to or approve of a particular principle or practice; almost exclusively used in negative constructions or interrogatives.


SIMPLE

I don't hold with all this modern technology.

CONTEXTUAL

My grandmother doesn't hold with children staying up past eight o'clock on school nights.

COMPLEX

The local council does not hold with the proposed expansion of the industrial zone, citing environmental concerns and traffic congestion.

Particles
with
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
hold + with + object
Usage

usually used with 'don't' or 'doesn't' to show disapproval.

Teaching tip

this is a great example of a 'negative polarity' item; it is rarely used in positive statements like 'I hold with that', making it a good study in natural collocations.

Pitfall

I don't hold with to eat meat.I don't hold with eating meat.the preposition 'with' must be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form), not an infinitive.

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