Sentence:  In any event , it is obvious that the anti-trust laws did not prevent the formation of some of the greatest financial empires the world has ever known , <WSD>held</WSD> together by some of the most fantastic ideas , all based on the fundamental notion that a corporation is an individual who can trade and exchange goods without control by the government '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"