# holding

/ˈhoʊɫdɪŋ/ (US) · /hˈəʊldɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/holding
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 2. financial assets

noun · CEFR B2 · Formal

something you own, especially land, property, or shares in a company.

For teachers: an area of land held by lease or ownership, or a quantity of shares and bonds held by an investor.

- The family has large land holdings in the northern part of the country.
- The investment fund diversified its portfolio by reducing its holdings in fossil fuels and increasing its stake in renewable energy startups.

### 3. sports foul

noun · CEFR B2

a mistake in a game where a player illegally grabs or stops an opponent.

For teachers: an illegal tactic in contact sports involving the restriction of an opponent's movement using the hands or arms.

- The referee called a penalty for holding after the defender grabbed the striker's shirt.
- The offensive lineman was flagged for holding, resulting in a ten-yard penalty that stalled the team's momentum late in the fourth quarter.

### 4. legal ruling

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal · Technical

a decision made by a judge or a court of law.

For teachers: a court's determination of a matter of law based on the issues presented in a particular case.

- The court's holding changed how the law is applied to privacy cases.
- Legal scholars debated the implications of the Supreme Court's holding, arguing that the narrow ruling failed to address the broader constitutional questions at hand.

## Examples

- The family has a large holding in the local bank.
- After the merger, the investment firm increased its holding in the tech sector to twenty percent.
- The billionaire's diverse holdings include vast tracts of agricultural land, several media outlets, and a controlling interest in a major shipping company.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.