noun
Very common
holding
HOH-dihng
Holding (noun) means something owned, especially investments such as stocks, property, or bonds. Example: “His biggest holding is a small block of flats near the coast.”
noun
1
Something owned, especially investments such as stocks, property, or bonds.
"His biggest holding is a small block of flats near the coast."
"She sold several holdings to pay for her new house."
"Her largest holding was a stake in a tech company."
2
A legal ruling or decision made by a court.
"The judge's holding was that the contract could not be enforced."
"Lawyers studied the holding closely to see how it might affect their clients."
"The court's holding set an important precedent for future cases."
3
In sports, a foul in which a player illegally grabs or restrains an opponent.
"The striker went down after a clear case of holding in the box."
"A late holding call by the referee cost the visitors a certain goal."
"The referee called holding against the defender, giving the other team a penalty."
How to use holding
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWhat someone owns (in finance), a court's decision (in law), or an illegal grab (in sports).
Common pairings
stock holdings
holding company
holding penalty
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Word forms
- Plural
- holdings
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His biggest _____ is a small block of flats near the coast.
Etymology
From hold + -ing. The sense "holding company" is from Russian холдинг (xolding), a pseudo-anglicism derived from an ellipsis of holding company.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for holding
See all rhymes for holding →Frequently asked questions
What does “holding” mean?
The word “holding” means something owned, especially investments such as stocks, property, or bonds. In plain terms, what someone owns (in finance), a court's decision (in law), or an illegal grab (in sports).
How do you pronounce “holding”?
“Holding” is pronounced HOH-dihng ([ˈhoʊɫdɪŋ] in IPA).
How do you use “holding” in a sentence?
Here is “holding” used in a sentence: “Her largest holding was a stake in a tech company.”
What part of speech is “holding”?
“Holding” is a noun.
Is “holding” a common word?
“Holding” is a very common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “holding” have?
“Holding” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: something owned, especially investments such as stocks, property, or bonds.
What is the difference between a holding and a share?
A share is a single unit of ownership in a company. Your holding is the total amount you own — for example, five hundred shares in a firm make up your holding in it. More broadly, a holding can be any owned investment, whether shares, bonds, or property.
What are the types of holdings?
Holdings can include company shares or stocks, government and corporate bonds, property and real estate, cash and money-market funds, and stakes in funds or other businesses. Together, a person's or institution's holdings make up their portfolio — the full collection of investments they own.
What is a holding company?
A holding company is a business whose main purpose is to own shares in other companies rather than to produce goods or services itself. Through these holdings it controls or influences its subsidiaries. It is a distinct sense of the word, but it grows from the same idea of something owned.
What is an example of a holding?
If you own shares in a company, that stake is a holding; a pension fund's holdings might include property, bonds, and shares across many firms. The word points to the investments someone owns, whether a single asset or a large, varied portfolio.
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