check vs hold

check

verb
  • To control, limit, or halt. 

  • To inspect; to examine. 

  • To leave with a shipping agent for shipping. 

  • To verify the accuracy of a text or translation, usually making some corrections (proofread) or many (copyedit). 

  • To turn, when in pursuit of proper game, and fly after other birds. 

  • To pass or bounce the ball to an opponent from behind the three-point line and have the opponent pass or bounce it back to start play. 

  • To make a move which puts an adversary's king in check; to put in check. 

  • To crack or gape open, as wood in drying; or to crack in small checks, as varnish, paint, etc. 

  • To disrupt another player with the stick or body to obtain possession of the ball or puck. 

  • To chide, rebuke, or reprove. 

  • To announce that one is remaining in a hand without betting. 

  • To verify or compare with a source of information. 

  • To leave in safekeeping. 

  • To mark items on a list (with a checkmark or by crossing them out) that have been chosen for keeping or removal or that have been dealt with (for example, completed or verified as correct or satisfactory). 

  • To slack or ease off, as a brace which is too stiffly extended. 

  • To make checks or chinks in; to cause to crack. 

  • To act as a curb or restraint. 

  • To make a stop; to pause; with at. 

  • To mark with a check pattern. 

noun
  • The forsaking by a hawk of its proper game to follow other birds. 

  • A maneuver performed by a player to take another player out of the play. 

  • Any fabric woven with such a pattern. 

  • A situation in which the king is directly threatened by an opposing piece. 

  • A mark (especially a checkmark: ✓) used as an indicator. 

  • A bill, particularly in a restaurant. 

  • A control; a limit or stop. 

  • An inspection or examination. 

  • A small chink or crack. 

  • A lengthwise separation through the growth rings in wood. 

  • An order to a bank to pay money to a named person or entity. 

  • A mark, certificate, or token by which errors may be prevented, or a thing or person may be identified. 

  • A pattern made up of a grid of squares of alternating colors; a checkered pattern. 

  • A token used instead of cash in gaming machines, or in gambling generally. 

adj
  • Divided into small squares (chequers) by transverse vertical and horizontal lines. 

hold

verb
  • Not to move; to halt; to stop. 

  • To detain. 

  • To take place, to occur. 

  • In a food or drink order at an informal restaurant etc., requesting that a component normally included in that order be omitted. 

  • To have and keep possession of something. 

  • To be or remain valid; to apply (usually in the third person). 

  • To contain or store. 

  • To be in possession of illicit drugs for sale. 

  • To organise an event or meeting (usually in passive voice). 

  • To accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain. 

  • To win one's own service game. 

  • To cause to wait or delay. 

  • To maintain in being or action; to carry on; to prosecute, as a course of conduct or an argument; to continue; to sustain. 

  • To bind (someone) to a consequence of his or her actions. 

  • To maintain, to consider, to opine. 

  • To grasp or grip. 

  • To reserve. 

  • To bear, carry, or manage. 

  • To keep oneself in a particular state. 

  • To remain continent; to control an excretory bodily function. 

  • Not to give way; not to part or become separated; to remain unbroken or unsubdued. 

  • To impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain. 

noun
  • The property of maintaining the shape of styled hair. 

  • The part of an object one is intended to grasp, or anything one can use for grasping with hands or feet. 

  • Power over someone or something. 

  • A place where animals are held for safety 

  • An act or instance of holding. 

  • Keep a firm hold on the handlebars. 

  • A position or grip used to control the opponent. 

  • The wager amount, the total hold. 

  • A fruit machine feature allowing one or more of the reels to remain fixed while the others spin. 

  • The cargo area of a ship or aircraft (often holds or cargo hold). 

  • The ability to persist. 

  • An exercise involving holding a position for a set time 

  • An order that something is to be reserved or delayed, limiting or preventing how it can be dealt with. 

  • Something reserved or kept. 

  • A grasp or grip. 

  • The percentage the house wins on a gamble, the house or bookmaker's hold. 

  • As of Monday night the total Melbourne Cup hold was $848,015 

  • The House Hold on the game is 10,000, this is the amount of decision or risk the house wishes to assume. 

  • The queueing system on telephones and similar communication systems which maintains a connection when all lines are busy. 

  • A statistic awarded to a relief pitcher who is not still pitching at the end of the game and who records at least one out and maintains a lead for his team. 

  • An instance of holding one's service game, as opposed to being broken. 

  • A region of airspace reserved for aircraft being kept in a holding pattern. 

How often have the words check and hold occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )