Stand one’s ground and hold one’s ground are two versions of a popular idiom. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom stand one’s ground or hold one’s ground, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.
Stand one’s ground and hold one’s ground are two idioms that mean to stay in one’s position and not yield to physical threats or mental pressure. Today, stand one’s ground and hold one’s ground usually mean to be unyielding in one’s resolve; however, the phrases may also be used to mean to maintain one’s physical presence in a particular place. The expressions stand one’s ground and hold one’s ground were first used in a military sense, to mean to hold on to one’s territory in battle. The terms came into use in a battle sense in the 1600s, and by the end of that century, they were well-known idioms used in a figurative sense. Stand one’s ground is and always has been the more popular of the two sayings. Related phrases are stands one’s ground, stood one’s ground, standing one’s ground, holds one’s ground, held one’s ground, holding one’s ground. In the United States, many states have stand-your-ground laws that allow citizens to use deadly force against another when they are in immediate danger of death or bodily harm.
Examples
But no other state has scrapped its citizen’s arrest law since then, and a simultaneous push in Georgia to remove “stand-your-ground” — which allows people to fight an aggressor even if they can safely back away — fizzled, just like other campaigns that have played out around the country. (Seattle Times)
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has stood his ground in the 2021 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, charting a course to growth, employment and poverty reduction while maintaining financial stability. (Daily Maverick)
Girardeau wrote: “Mountain lions do not predate on humans and this is why it’s good to hold your ground because any prey item for mountain lions runs away.” (USA Today)
Emmitt tried once more to wheedle some money but I held my ground. (Winona Daily News)