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hold together

B1 neutral separable both
In simple words

Stay in one piece, or keep a group or plan from falling apart

Literal meaning: To grip multiple pieces so they stay joined

Meanings

1 A2 neutral

For a physical object to remain intact and not break apart

"The old suitcase barely held together on the long flight."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 idiomatic neutral

To keep a group of people united or functioning during a difficult time

"It was her calm leadership that held the team together during the crisis."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral

For an argument, plan, or story to be logically consistent and convincing

"The theory sounds interesting, but it doesn't quite hold together under scrutiny."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Used for physical objects (glue holds the pieces together), groups of people (she held the team together), and abstract things like arguments or plans (the story barely holds together).

Commonly used with

team coalition argument structure plan family

Forms

Base
hold together
I/you/we/they
3rd person
holds together
he/she/it
Past simple
held together
yesterday
Past participle
held together
have + pp
-ing form
holding together
continuous

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Synonyms

stay united cohere remain intact keep together bind together unify

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