hold one's own

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hold one's own

1. (idiomatic) To demonstrate oneself to be capable; to provide a respectable performance or worthy competition; to stick up for oneself.
   • 1877, R. D. Blackmore, chapter 6, in Erema: My Father's Sin:

     At any rate, he was like John Bull in one respect: he was sturdy and square, and fit to hold his own with any man.

   • 1904, Joseph Conrad, chapter 2, in Nostromo:

     At the receptions . . . Antonia could hold her own in a discussion with two or three men at a time.

   • 1909, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 19, in The Gem Collector:

     If it came to blows, the younger man could not hope to hold his own with the huge policeman.

   • 2007, David Runk, "Competition Heats Up In Truck Market," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4 April, p. E8 (retrieved 4 Nov 2010):

     But Ford, and Chrysler continued to hold their own against the latest competition from the Japanese.

• stand tall