tenir

A. vtr

• 1 to hold tenir qn par la main = to hold sb's hand tiens! (giving sth to sb) = here you are! tiens, regarde! = hey, look! si je le tenais! = if I could get my hands on him! Definition of hold in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold in the US English dictionary Translate hold | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 2 to keep [sb] under control il nous tient = he's got a hold on us

• 3 [Mil] to hold [hill, bridge, city] Definition of hold in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold in the US English dictionary Translate hold | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 4 to hold [captive, animal] je te tiens! = I've caught you! Definition of hold in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold in the US English dictionary Translate hold | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 5 to have [information] Definition of have in the British & World English dictionary Definition of have in the US English dictionary Translate have | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 6 to hold [job]; to run [shop, house, business]; to be in charge of [switchboard, reception] Definition of hold in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold in the US English dictionary Translate hold | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 7 to keep ‘tenir hors de portée des enfants’ = ‘keep out of reach of children’ Definition of keep in the British & World English dictionary Definition of keep in the US English dictionary Translate keep | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 8tenir sa tête droite = to hold one's head upright tenir les yeux baissés = to keep one's eyes lowered

• 9 to hold down [load, cargo]; to hold up [trousers, socks] Definition of hold down in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold down in the US English dictionary Translate hold down | into Italian | into Spanish

• 10 to keep to [itinerary] Definition of keep to in the British & World English dictionary Definition of keep to in the US English dictionary Translate keep to | into Italian | into Spanish

• 11tenir la mer [ship] = to be seaworthy tenir le coup = to hold out tenir le choc [person] = to stand the strain

• 12 [object] to take up [room]; [person] to hold [role, position] Definition of take up in the British & World English dictionary Definition of take up in the US English dictionary Translate take up | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 13tenir qn/qch pour responsable = to hold sb/sth responsible tenir qn pour mort = to give sb up for dead

B. v+prep (tenir à)

• 1tenir à = to be fond of, to like tenir à la vie = to value one's life

• 2j'y tiens = I insist tenir à ce que qn fasse = to insist that sb should do

C. v+prep (tenir de)

• tenir de qn = to take after sb

D. vi

• 1 [rope, shelf, dam] to hold; [stamp, glue] to stick; [bandage, structure] to stay in place; [hairstyle] to stay tidy Definition of hold in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold in the US English dictionary Translate hold | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 2tenir (bon) (gen) = to hang on; [Mil] = to hold out

• 3la neige tient = the snow is settling les fleurs n'ont pas tenu = the flowers didn't last long

• 4 [theory] to hold good; [alibi] to stand up Definition of hold good in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold good in the US English dictionary

• 5 [people, objects] to fit tenir à six dans une voiture = to fit six into a car mon article tient en trois pages = my article takes up only three pages Definition of fit in the British & World English dictionary Definition of fit in the US English dictionary Translate fit | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

E. v refl (+ v être) (se tenir)

• 1se tenir la tête à deux mains = to hold one's head in one's hands

• 2se tenir par le bras = to be arm in arm se tenir par la main = to hold hands

• 3se tenir à qch = to hold onto sth tiens-toi or tenez-vous bien (figurative) (fam) = prepare yourself for a shock

• 4se tenir accroupi = to be squatting se tenir au milieu = to be standing in the middle se tenir prêt = to be ready

• 5 to behave se tenir bien/mal = to behave well/badly Definition of behave in the British & World English dictionary Definition of behave in the US English dictionary Translate behave | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

• 6se tenir bien/mal = to have (a) good posture/(a) bad posture tiens-toi droit! = stand up straight!

• 7 [demonstration, exhibition] to be held

• 8 [argument, book] to hold together ça se tient = it makes sense Definition of hold together in the British & World English dictionary Definition of hold together in the US English dictionary Translate hold together | into Spanish

• 9tenez-vous le pour dit! (fam) = I don't want to have to tell you again!

• 10s'en tenir à = to keep to s'en tenir aux ordres = to stick to orders ne pas savoir à quoi s'en tenir = not to know what to make of it

F. v impers

• il ne tient qu'à toi de partir = it's up to you to decide whether to leave qu'à cela ne tienne! = never mind!