To maintain stability, composure, or cohesion in a difficult situation, preventing total collapse or breakdown.
To stop things — or yourself — from falling apart when everything is hard or going wrong.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To maintain emotional composure and function normally despite being under extreme stress or pressure.
"She somehow held it together through the funeral and only broke down when she got home."
I tried to hold it together, but grief has its own timetable.
— Widely attested sentiment; similar phrasing appears in Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking (2005)
To keep a group, organization, or system functioning and unified when it is at risk of breaking apart.
"Only her leadership was holding the fractured coalition together."
To prevent something from falling apart — the metaphor of holding broken pieces together is the source.
To stop things — or yourself — from falling apart when everything is hard or going wrong.
A fixed colloquial phrase. 'It' can refer to a situation, a group, a relationship, or (informally) oneself. Very common in speech and in media. Often used in questions ('How are you holding it together?') and in encouragement ('Just hold it together a little longer').
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "hold it together" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.