Dictionary

hold one's own en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To demonstrate oneself to be capable; to provide a respectable performance or worthy competition; to stick up for oneself.
   • In his view, this eminent locomotive engineer had very decided opinions of his own, and was not afraid of putting them into practice; but a weakness lay in the fact that there was no one on his staff in a position sufficiently strong to hold his own with Stroudley in argument. 1941 May, “Notes and News: William Stroudley”, in Railway Magazine, page 234:
   • If it came to blows, the younger man could not hope to hold his own with the huge policeman. 1909, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 19, in The Gem Collector:
   • Charlie: Are you a good pilot? Maverick: I can hold my own. 1986, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., Top Gun (motion picture):
   • At the receptions […] Antonia could hold her own in a discussion with two or three men at a time. 1904 January 29 – October 7, Joseph Conrad, chapter 2, in Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard, London; New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], published 1904, →OCLC:
   • But Ford, and Chrysler continued to hold their own against the latest competition from the Japanese. 2007 April 4, David Runk, “Competition Heats Up In Truck Market”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, retrieved 04 Nov 2010, page E8:
   • At any rate, he was like John Bull in one respect: he was sturdy and square, and fit to hold his own with any man. 1877, R. D. Blackmore, chapter 6, in Erema:

Forms

Relateds

hold up one's end

Synonyms

stand tall

Translations (23)

af nie skrik vir koue pampoen nie (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · is hafa við einhverjum (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · fi pitää puolensa (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · pl poradzić sobie (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · nl haar op zijn tanden hebben (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · es mostrarse a la altura (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · fr tenir son rang (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · es plantar cara (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · es aguantar (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · es defenderse bien (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · pl radzić sobie (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · fi pitää pintansa (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · is halda sínum hlut (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · fr bien se défendre (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · hu megállja a helyét (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · es mostrarse capaz (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · it mostrarsi all'altezza (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · ru постоя́ть за себя́ (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · is standa sig (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · is fara ekki halloka (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · fr se montrer à la hauteur (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · fr se montrer capable (demonstrate oneself to be capable) · nl zijn mannetje staan (demonstrate oneself to be capable)