hold one's fire

phrase

Do not discharge a weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder; now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.

“Hold your fire and let me explain.”

Opposite
return fire
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Meanings

phrase
  1. Do not discharge a weapon. Used originally for weapons needing a spark or lighting of a fuse to ignite gunpowder; now sometimes used to mean any weapon launching a projectile.
  2. colloquialidiomaticWait, don't retaliate, calm down, be quiet.

    Hold your fire and let me explain.

verbhold one's fire (third-person singular simple present holds one's fire, present participle holding one's fire, simple past and past participle held one's fire)

present singular third person holds one's fire · participle present holding one's fire · participle past held one's fire · past held one's fire

  1. intransitiveTo refrain from criticism.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
return fire
Cite this entry
APA

hold one's fire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20one's%20fire

MLA

“hold one's fire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20one's%20fire. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hold one's fire,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20one's%20fire.

Source: hold one's fire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.