hold hands — touch hands
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to gently take and keep someone’s hand in yours, usually to show affection, comfort, or support
Say it like a native
Textbook The couple were clasping each other's hands as they walked.
Native The couple were holding hands as they walked.
'Hold hands' is the fixed everyday phrase. 'Clasping each other's hands' is overwritten.
Pattern: hold hands (with someone)
In use
- The little girl held her mother’s hand as they crossed the street.relationships
- When I was a child, my grandmother would always hold my hand when we walked to school, which made me feel safe and loved.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ They were holding their hands.
✓ They were holding hands.
The idiom is 'hold hands' (no 'their') when two people hold each other's hands. 'Hold their hands' means hold someone else's.
Common collocations
hold hands— with him, under the table, in public, the whole time
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'shake hands', which is a greeting.