MEANING
Used to tell someone to wait, slow down or consider a decision more carefully.
Use it for
asking someone not to rush a decision; interrupting a premature conclusion; requesting patience before action; showing a speaker gently or sharply restraining enthusiasmAsks someone to slow down or reconsider before acting or reaching a conclusion. Writing functions: Restraint and patience.
Words that belong together
- hold your horses for a moment
On the page
Hold your horses—we have not checked whether the venue is available.
“Hold your horses,” she said. “We have one witness, not proof.”
Word forms
- Base
- hold your horses
Usage notes
Usually an imperative: hold your horses! Horses stays plural. Do not fabricate a conjugation table for the fixed request. Register: informal. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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