From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhold somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verb1 to make someone or something stay on something, and stop them from moving away or escaping We had to hold the tent down with rocks to stop it blowing away. It took three strong men to hold him down.2 PREVENTCONTROLto prevent the level of something such as prices from rising We will aim to hold down prices.3 JOB/WORK hold down a job to succeed in keeping a job for a period of time He’s never held down a job for longer than a few weeks.4 CONTROLto keep people under control or limit their freedom The people were held down for centuries by their conquerors. → hold→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
hold down• A place far off with responsibilities to hold him down.• Despite this, in most areas we are continuing to hold our rates down.• I threw myself on top of the wheelbarrow to hold it down as he passed.• The length of time you hold it down determines the strength of the kick.• Fearing urban unrest, the government holds grain prices down to levels that make it unattractive to farm.• Remember, do not hold the glider down too close to the ground, 5 to 10 feet is safer.• The thieves have been forcing their way into the homes of elderly people, holding them down while searching for their savings.• If the Niners hold them down, will this defense get its due?hold down a job• Kelly wants to prove to his father that he can hold down a job.• But if you are schizophrenic, you can not think straight, concentrate, hold down a job.• People with long-term mental disorder have many problems in holding down a job.• Who would employ her and how would she hold down a job?• During the day they held down jobs as, respectively, a waitress and delivery driver.• Clarke holds down two jobs to support his family.• Rella could hold down jobs, when she wanted to.• Frye was expounding on the dangers of holding down a job while taking a full load of courses.From Longman Business Dictionaryhold something → down phrasal verb [transitive]1to prevent something such as prices from risingTo fight inflation, the government held down gasoline prices.Companies are trying to hold down costs and improve efficiency.2hold down a job informal to succeed in keeping a jobMr Mills had to hold down a full-time job while attending night school. → hold→ See Verb table 