Word.ws English Dictionary

holds by the button

holds by the button is the third-person singular simple present indicative of hold by the button.

Meaning of hold by the button

Verb

hold by the button (third-person singular simple present holds by the button, present participle holding by the button, simple past and past participle held by the button)

  1. (archaic, idiomatic, transitive) To detain in conversation to the point of weariness or tedium; to bore while tallking to
    • When a slanderer addresses himself to any one, let him only withhold his attention, while he argues thus with himself: --- Why does this man hold me by the button, and seem so desirous of calling my attention to another's failings?1798, A Clergyman of the County of Kent, Crude Thoughts
    Synonyms:
    buttonhole

Questions about holds by the button

What is holds by the button the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Holds by the button is the third-person singular simple present indicative of hold by the button.

Words near holds by the button in the dictionary

  1. holds a mirror up to
  2. holds a torch for
  3. holds against
  4. holds back
  5. holds back on
  6. holds by the button
  7. holds cheap
  8. holds court
  9. holds dear
  10. holds down
  11. holds down the fort

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: holds by the button (page history and authors); hold by the button (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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