# behold

> English word · Verb · IPA /bɪˈhəʊld/ · frequency rank #10,165

## Definitions
1. To look at or see (someone or something), especially appreciatively; to descry, to look upon.
2. To contemplate (someone or something).
3. To look.

## Etymology
From Middle English biholden, from Old English behealdan (“to hold, possess, preserve, belong, keep, observe, look at, take care, beware, be cautious, restrain, act, behave”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihaldan (“to hold with, keep”), equivalent to be- + hold. Cognate with Saterland Frisian behoolde (“to keep”), Dutch behouden (“to keep, restrain, preserve”), German behalten (“to keep, restrain, remember”), Danish and Norwegian beholde (“to keep”) and Swedish behålla (“to keep”).

## Easily confused with
- **bold** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behold-vs-bold)
- **beyond** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behold-vs-beyond)
- **beholden** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behold-vs-beholden)
- **beholder** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behold-vs-beholder)
- **behind** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behind-vs-behold)
- **behalf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behalf-vs-behold)
- **behead** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/behead-vs-behold)

## Common misspellings (9)
`bbehold`, `behhold`, `behlod`, `behodl`, `beholdd`, `beholld`, `beohld`, `bheold`, `ebhold`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/behold