inhouden

Inhouden is a Dutch verb that broadly means to hold back, restrain, or contain. It is used in contexts where something is kept inside or not released, such as withholding information, suppressing emotions, or keeping an action in check. A related sense refers to physically holding something back or preventing it from passing a boundary, and it can also describe the act of holding one’s breath or keeping a reaction restrained.

The word is formed from the prefix in- combined with houden (to hold). It typically functions as a separable prefix verb, so its form changes with tense and person, for example: ik houd in, jij houdt in, hij houdt in; past tense hield in; past participle ingehouden. The core idea in most uses is an inward or restrictive action, whether voluntary or incidental.

Common senses and usage include:

- Withholding or concealing: bijvoorbeeld het openbaar maken van gegevens of het verbergen van informatie. The government may information in, or a journalist may claim an organization keeps data in.

- Restraining or suppressing emotions or impulses: iemand emoties inhouden, of het onverwerkte leed inhouden tijdens een gesprek.

- Holding one's breath or keeping a reaction in check: iemand houdt zijn adem in; een oplettend moment waarop men even niets laat merken.

Alternatives and related terms include terughouden, achterhouden, or voorhouden for more specific senses of withholding or presenting information. Inhoud refers to content or contents, a related but distinct concept from inhouden.

Inhouden is thus a polyvalent Dutch verb centered on the idea of inward restraint or containment, used in legal, emotional, physiological, and everyday contexts.