Hold it down means: To hold up one's side in a relationship.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
hold it down
(AAVE, slang, intransitive) To hold up one's side in a relationship.
Seen in the wild
Definitions
US
#1·Apr 27, 2026US
(AAVE, slang, intransitive) To hold up one's side in a relationship.
She'll never dump him, he knows how to hold it down.
For parents
Hold it down means: To hold up one's side in a relationship.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
hold it down means: To hold up one's side in a relationship.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Heard in the wild
“would you hold it down and take it if i gave you a chance? need the reassurance, baby, not a silly romance!”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
US
#2·Apr 27, 2026US
(AAVE, slang, intransitive) To maintain control of a situation or location.
I'll be back, Dee, hold it down while I'm gone.
Cluster: general
Heard in the wild
“It's pointing at you, I can't hold it down much longer. You gonna need to fight it! #nsfw #transporn #porn”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
US
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "hold it down".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "hold it down" (H)
hokeyHokey CokeyHokey PokeyHokkien meeho kua bo ho jiakHoldenhold one's mouth righthold the phonehold the ringhold to ransomhold-uphold-ups
Browse all slang words starting with H.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- let someone hold79%
(transitive, AAVE, slang) To give (especially money); let someone have.
- put it down74%
(AAVE, slang) To behave impressively; to do everything correctly.
- keep it one hundred70%
(AAVE, slang, idiomatic) To be authentic, to be true to oneself.
- outhold70%
To hold better than someone or something else.