holding

8 definitions • 12 examples

something that you own such as shares in a company or buildings, or land that you rent and farm:

To ensure security the investment fund has holdings in many companies.

in American football, the illegal act of using the hands in a way that is different from blocking to prevent a player on the other team who is not carrying the ball from moving forwards:

The play did not count because the offensive lineman was called for holding.

in basketball, the illegal act of using the hands to prevent a player on the other team who is not carrying the ball from moving forwards:

The referee called a holding foul on Stevens because he grabbed Wilson's jersey.

in ice hockey, the act of using the hand or other part of the body to hold back another player's stick, which is against the rules:

Henry was called for holding the stick and sent to the penalty box for two minutes.

In football, if a midfield player has a holding role, their main job is to help the defence rather than attack an opponent's goal:

Without a holding midfielder, the two centre backs can be left exposed.

assets such as property, shares, or cash that a government, company, or person owns:

holding in sth The government announced that it would replace its gold reserves with holdings in dollars, euros and yen.

Foreign central banks might reduce their holdings of American Treasury bonds.

cash/stock/property, etc. holdings

the amount of a company's shares that a person or organization owns:

holding in sth He is considering selling his 28% holding in the company.

increase/raise/build up a holding The Chairman bought a further 80,000 shares, increasing his holding to 20.3%.

reduce/cut a holding The sale is part of a plan by the Dutch state to reduce its holding in the former government-controlled group.

used in the names of some holding companies:

TEC Holdings has been in existence since 2007.