behold

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To look at something and take in its appearance, especially when it is striking or beautiful.

   Grammar: Takes an object and sounds poetic: behold the sunrise.

   Patterns

   • behold something

   Travelers climbed the hill to behold the valley at dawn.

   Few people have beheld such a rare sight.

   The crowd gasped as they beheld the new statue.

2. 2verbtransitivehumorousold-fashioned

   Used as a command to call attention to something that is about to be shown or announced.

   Grammar: Appears as an imperative at the start of a sentence, often in humor: behold, the cake.

   Patterns

   • Behold something!

   Behold, the fruit of three days of baking!

   Behold the champion of the neighborhood quiz!

   He opened the box and said, behold, our new puppy.

Word forms

Common combinations

behold the sight

She stood still to behold the sight of the northern lights.

a sight to behold

The garden in spring is a sight to behold.

lo and behold

Lo and behold, the missing keys were in my coat.

behold a wonder

Pilgrims came from afar to behold the wonder.

beauty in the eye of the beholder

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes.

Synonyms and how they differ

see

See is the ordinary word for noticing with your eyes, and carries none of the grand tone of behold.

gaze at

Gaze at means to look steadily and long, often with admiration, but sounds less formal than behold.

witness

Witness stresses being present when something happens, rather than simply looking at it.

observe

Observe suggests watching carefully to learn something, not marveling at a sight.

Opposites

Word family

beholder noun

a person who looks at something

beholden adjective

owing thanks or a favor to someone

beholding noun

the act of looking at something

Commonly confused: behold or beholden?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “behold”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words