Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hold fire

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.94 in modern English

Syllables: hold -fire
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To wait for an opportunity to shoot (with a firearm) at something or someone.

Intransitive verb

verb

To wait for an opportunity to shoot (with a firearm) at something or someone.

Intransitive verb

verb

To delay taking action.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Hold fire!"
"Hold your fire!"
"I have seen so much really credible evidence that the situation did not devolve the way we're being told it did. And then, another body of credible evidence that it was very different from what we're being told it is that I'm holding fire until I see the Warren Commission report on the assissination of JFK."

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

holds fire (present, singular) holding fire (participle, present) held fire (participle, past) held fire (past)

Frequently Paired Words

fire at will

Synonyms

hold up hold on

Antonyms

open fire fire

Questions

What does hold fire mean?: To wait for an opportunity to shoot (with a firearm) at something or someone.

How to pronounce hold fire

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hold fire”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hold fire”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hold fire” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.