halten
German, verb
halten is spelled H-A-L-T-E-N (6 letters) and appears 219 times per million words in written German, the 395th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Halten is a German verb meaning “to hold (an object in one's hands)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Halten is a different word: “gerund of halten”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “etwas durch Kraftausübung in Ruhe belassen oder bringen”.
What does halten mean in English?
verb
- 1
to hold (an object in one's hands)
- 2
to stop, to halt, to hold back
einen Elfmeter halten
- 3
to support, to hold up
- 4
to keep, to maintain
Der Wein hält mich jung.
- 5
to keep, to provide for
Wache halten
- 6
to keep, to provide for, to stock
Er hält sich zwei Autos.
- 7
to hold, to remain in one piece, to last (of objects undergoing wear and tear, or fragile constructions)
Wenn du das nur zusammenleimst, wird das nicht lange halten.
- 8
to hold, to stick (of glue, knots, fastenings, etc.)
Das Klebeband hält nicht mehr so gut.
noun
- 1
neutergerund of halten
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. etwas durch Kraftausübung in Ruhe belassen oder bringen 2. einen Status quo bewahren 3. im engeren Wirkungsbereich über (ein Lebewesen) bestimmen 4. nicht verderben
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of halten
- hält present singular third-person
- hielt past
- gehalten participle past
- haben auxiliary
- 7 strong
- haltend participle present
- halte first-person indicative present
- hältst indicative present second-person
- haltet indicative plural present
- haltest second-person singular subjunctive
- hielten first-person indicative plural
- hielte first-person singular subjunctive
- hieltest indicative preterite second-person
- hieltst indicative preterite second-person
- hieltet indicative plural preterite
- halt imperative second-person singular
- halt! imperative singular
- halte! imperative singular
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to halten
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is halten in German?
halten appears 219 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).