Phrase guide

hold water

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To withstand scrutiny or criticism; to be valid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc.

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Her shoes won't hold up
  • This theory won't hold water

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stand up, hold up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: survive, last, live, live on, go, endure, hold up, hold out

History

Etymology

Possibly from Jeremiah 2:13.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 站得住 (zhàndezhù) — withstand scrutiny
  • Chinese Mandarin: 站得住腳 /站得住脚 (zhàndezhù jiǎo) — withstand scrutiny
  • Chinese Mandarin: 成立 (chénglì) — withstand scrutiny
  • Danish: holde vand — withstand scrutiny
  • Dutch: hout snijden — withstand scrutiny
  • Dutch: steek houden — withstand scrutiny
  • Finnish: pitää vettä — withstand scrutiny
  • Finnish: kestää tarkastelua — withstand scrutiny
  • Finnish: olla vedenpitävä — withstand scrutiny
  • French: tenir la route — withstand scrutiny
  • Hebrew: החזיק מים — withstand scrutiny
  • Hungarian: helytálló — withstand scrutiny
  • Hungarian: tartható — withstand scrutiny
  • Hungarian: megáll — withstand scrutiny
  • Hungarian: helyes — withstand scrutiny
  • Hungarian: hiteles — withstand scrutiny
  • Hungarian: megállja a helyét — withstand scrutiny
  • Italian: reggere un ipotesi — withstand scrutiny
  • Italian: reggere il confronto — withstand scrutiny
  • Polish: trzymać się kupy — withstand scrutiny
  • Russian: выде́рживать критику (vydérživatʹ kritiku) — withstand scrutiny
  • Serbo-Croatian: држати воду — withstand scrutiny
  • Serbo-Croatian: držati vodu — withstand scrutiny