hold still

Meanings

verbhold still (third-person singular simple present holds still, present participle holding still, simple past and past participle held still)

present singular third person holds still · participle present holding still · participle past held still · past held still

To not move; to remain stationary.
He expected a stomp or a fist against the table but instead she held still and he thought he noticed her shoulders moving up and down in slight huffs.
2021, Michael Farris Smith, chapter 35, in Nick, New York; Boston; London: Little, Brown and Company, page 178

German stillhalten

Italian stare fermo

Cite this entry

APA

hold still. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20still

MLA

“hold still.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20still. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hold still,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold%20still.