hold an event

USAGE SUMMARY

“hold an event” is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you are referring to organizing an event for a special purpose or occasion. For example: The library is holding an event to celebrate its 50 year anniversary.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Therefore, we will not hold an event this year".

The New York Times

"With advancements in technology and equipment, you could hold an event almost anywhere".

The New York Times - Sports

"We could go in tomorrow and hold an event in mainland China," Fischer said.

The New York Times - Sports

Anyone can sign up to hold an event; space is available for workshops and rehearsals.

The New York Times

I asked if people wanted to hold an event in their homes.

The New York Times - Books

Say you want to hold an event in an expensive hotel.

The New York Times

There are no plans to hold an event at another location in 2018".

The Guardian - Music

Facebook will hold an event towards the end of next week and release some stats.

The Guardian - Tech

And the water company doesn't hold an event every year to hype slimmer faucets.

The Washington Post

The American Enterprise Institute will hold an event on health savings accounts on Thursday.

The Washington Post

Politico reports he will hold an event on March 30 in his hometown of El Paso.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Specify the location or the purpose immediately after the phrase to provide clarity, such as "hold an event at the convention center" or "hold an event to raise awareness".

Common error

Do not say "the event will hold tomorrow". Events "take place" or "are held", but they do not "hold" themselves. Ensure the subject is the organizer (active voice) or the event is the subject of a passive construction like "an event will be held".

Linguistic Context

This is a transitive verb phrase where "hold" acts as the action and "an event" serves as the direct object. According to Ludwig, it functions as a standard collocation for expressing the execution of a scheduled gathering. The verb "hold" here denotes possessing, conducting or carrying out a specific activity.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

95%

Formal & Business

3%

Science

2%

Less common in

Academia

1%

Social Media

1%

Wiki

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "hold an event" is an essential and highly frequent phrase in contemporary English. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a correct and widely accepted idiom across all major professional registers. Its strength lies in its versatility, as it can be used for everything from small local meetings to global summits. While synonyms like "host an event" or "organize an event" offer slight variations in emphasis, "hold an event" remains the most direct way to express the act of carrying out a gathering. Writers should be careful not to confuse it with intransitive phrases like "take place", ensuring that a clear organizer is always the subject of the sentence.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

host an event

Emphasizes the role of the organizer as a host providing a venue or hospitality

organize an event

Focuses more on the planning and logistical preparation phase

conduct an event

More formal and suggests a structured or procedural execution

stage an event

Implies a significant level of production or theatrical presentation

put on an event

A more idiomatic and slightly less formal expression for staging a production

run an event

Highlights the management and operational handling during the event itself

arrange an event

Suggests the coordination of various parts or parties to make the event happen

coordinate an event

Focuses on the administrative effort of aligning different participants and schedules

mount an event

Typically used for large-scale exhibitions or major theatrical productions

execute an event

Focuses on the fulfillment of a pre-existing plan or strategy

FAQs

How do I use "hold an event" in a sentence?

You can use it by identifying the organizer as the subject. For example: "The tech giant plans to "hold an event" next month to announce new hardware."

What is the difference between "hold an event" and "host an event"?

While often interchangeable, to "hold an event" refers generally to the act of organizing it, whereas to "host an event" often implies providing the space, food or entertainment as a master of ceremonies.

What can I say instead of "hold an event"?

Depending on the context, you can use "organize an event" for the planning phase, "stage an event" for a performance or "conduct an event" for a formal meeting.

Is it "hold an event" or "held an event"?

Use "hold" for present and future tenses, and "held" for the past tense. For instance, "They will "hold an event" tomorrow" versus "They held an event last week."