hold on

verb

held on; holding on; holds on

intransitive verb

1

a

: to maintain a condition or position : persist

b

: to maintain a grasp on something : hang on

2

: to await something (such as a telephone connection) desired or requested

broadly : wait

Phrases

hold on to

: to maintain possession of or adherence to

Synonyms

• abide
• bide
• continue
• endure
• hold up
• keep up
• last
• perdure
• persist
• remain
• run on

Examples of hold on in a Sentence

the ancient beliefs still held on in remote mountain villages

hold on a minute—it's not your turn

Recent Examples on the Web

The sandy soil and pine needles in the regions don’t hold on to water for long. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025

The Wild white-knuckled it the rest of the way to hold on for a 5-2 victory to even the best-of-seven first-round series at 1-1. —Michael Russo, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025

The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday (April 26) and released images of the pontiff lying in a simple wooden open casket in the chapel of the Santa Marta guesthouse as well as his last words. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025

The Latin Grammy Awards announced today that the 26th iteration of the Spanish-language show will be held on Nov. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for hold on

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon

Kids Definition

hold on

verb

1

: to keep a hold

2

: wait entry 1 sense 1a