held dear

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There was a discomfort similar to waiting for a tsunami — that whatever was coming would change lives, shake institutions and make people question values and principles that they had long held dear.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

While the reality of the friendship between Owens and Long is held dear by both families, their special bond has taken on a life of its own online.

From BBC • Jul. 16, 2024

But the roustabout Hal’s dawning maturity costs him the companion he once held dear.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2024

The holiday may be getting more modern, but millennia-old traditions are still held dear in China and other countries.

From National Geographic • Feb. 5, 2024

I look out at our group and see a procession of broken people—unwashed, our hair caked with dirt, our clothes torn, open wounds on our feet, losing faith in everything we once held dear.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar