The revolting forces were just barely held at bay.
What is the meaning of the above sentence?
The revolting forces were just barely held at bay.
What is the meaning of the above sentence?
“revolting forces” = forces (probably military forces or similar) who were “revolting”, that is, trying to overthrow a ruler. (Care is needed when using “revolting” like this because the common meaning of “repulsive / extremely unpleasant” tends to dominate.)
“held at bay” = kept at a safe distance; prevented from succeeding in their attack (“hold at bay” is a set expression)