To maintain one's emotional composure and function normally despite extreme emotional distress or hardship.
To stop yourself from breaking down or crying, even when you feel like you can't go on.
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
To maintain one's emotional control and continue functioning normally despite being under extreme distress.
"He barely held himself together during the meeting, knowing he'd just received terrible news."
I held myself together by reminding myself why I was there.
— Widely attested phrasing in memoir writing; comparable expressions in Cheryl Strayed, Wild (2012)
To physically hold the parts of oneself from falling apart — a powerful metaphor for emotional stability.
To stop yourself from breaking down or crying, even when you feel like you can't go on.
A reflexive fixed expression. The reflexive pronoun always agrees with the subject: 'I held myself together,' 'she held herself together.' Common in literary writing, memoirs, and emotional conversation. Implies significant internal struggle.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "hold oneself together" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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