Hold (someone or something) at bay verb phrase figurative
To keep someone or something from getting too near or attacking.
An apple a day helps to hold the illness at bay.
I am trying to hold my creditors at bay.
While I was holding the kidnappers at bay, Linda escaped and called the police.
Means very far (by a great distance) or by a large amount
An embrace in which one or both participants attempt to limit their physical contact by pushing their buttocks away from each other
At a close enough distance to plainly hear when someone is calling or shouting one
To refer to an unfamiliar or faraway place.
The verb "hold" should be conjugated according to its tense.