hold your peace

H

hold your peace (idiom)
/hoʊld jʊr pis/

Meaning

• Remain silent rather than speaking, especially when it might be expected to say something.
• Choose not to express an opinion or objection during an important moment.
• Stay quiet and avoid interrupting or contributing to a conversation or discussion.
• Keep one’s thoughts, feelings, or reservations to oneself instead of voicing them aloud.
• Abstain from speaking up in order to maintain calm or prevent conflict.

Example Sentences

1. Please speak now or forever hold your peace.
2. He decided to hold his peace during the meeting to avoid conflict.
3. She chose to hold her peace rather than argue with her boss.
4. They thought it was best to hold their peace until more information was available.
5. It is often wise to hold one’s peace in sensitive situations.
6. Someone should have spoken up, but everyone decided to hold their peace.

Origin and History

Religious Roots and Wedding Ceremonies

The phrase “hold your peace” is strongly rooted in Christian religious ceremonies, particularly traditional wedding services. In many Christian marriage rites, the officiant would ask the congregation if anyone objected to the union, famously stating, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Here, “peace” symbolized internal calm or acceptance. Choosing to “forever hold your peace” meant silently accepting the marriage without raising any objections. This custom was intended to prevent future challenges to the marriage after it was completed. It became a widely recognized expression not just in religious contexts but also in everyday language, where it symbolized remaining silent when expected to speak.

Development in English Common Usage

Beyond religious ceremonies, the expression naturally extended into broader English usage. In general conversation, it came to mean staying silent to avoid conflict, or simply keeping one’s thoughts to oneself. In old English traditions, maintaining “peace” was often seen as a duty to the community and to personal honor. Speaking out at the wrong time was considered disruptive or disrespectful. Therefore, the idea of “holding” one’s peace, or preserving silence, was highly valued in both social and legal contexts in medieval England. Over time, this societal expectation helped the phrase evolve into everyday usage.

Possible Legal Origins

Some theories suggest the phrase may have also been influenced by early legal practices. In medieval courts, speaking out of turn could disrupt proceedings and be seen as contemptuous behavior. Individuals were often expected to “hold their peace” until called upon by a judge or authority figure. Failure to do so could result in punishment. This legal background may have reinforced the broader cultural importance of remaining silent at appropriate times and could have helped entrench the phrase in English-speaking societies.

Alternative Theories and Imaginative Possibilities

An imaginative possibility is that the phrase evolved through military contexts as well. Soldiers were often ordered to “hold their peace” by maintaining silence during strategic operations where noise could reveal positions to the enemy. Although this idea does not have strong documentary evidence, it fits logically with the values of silence, discipline, and control associated with the phrase. Additionally, in diplomatic circles, maintaining peace during tense negotiations was critical, and participants may have been advised informally to “hold their peace” to avoid sparking conflict.

Country of Origin

The phrase “hold your peace” originated in England. Its earliest uses are found in English religious texts and ceremonies, closely tied to the language of Christian wedding rituals practiced in Britain.

Earliest Printed Record

The earliest known printed record of a similar phrasing appears in the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, first published in 1549. In the traditional wedding service, the officiant says:

“If any man do allege and declare any impediment why they may not be coupled together in Matrimony, by God’s law, or the laws of this Realm; and will be bound, and sufficient sureties with him of the same, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.”

This formalized phrasing strongly influenced how the idiom was later used in both religious and secular contexts.

Synonyms

1. bite your tongue
2. button your lip
3. keep mum

About the Author

Elena Jones holds a PhD in Education from Harvard University. She has extensive experience teaching at both the K–12 and university levels, with a particular focus on English as a Second Language. Elena has dedicated her career to advancing educational practices, and she has contributed to numerous educational journals.

Silence