hold on
verb
held on; holding on; holds on
2
: to await something (such as a telephone connection) desired or requested
broadly
: wait
Synonyms
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 Tennessee location will not hold on to its title forever as the crown will return to the beaver's home state.
—
James Powel, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Blink-182 fans in Mexico held on to hope that the rock band’s bassist, Mark Hoppus, could overcome his health problems and perform the concerts scheduled for this weekend in the capital city.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
The nurses held on firmly as the building continued to shake.
—Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Reagan held on to the birds for a few years, then sent Captain to the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Mo., in 1988, and Carol went to the National Zoo in D.C.
Captain became part of a critical conservation breeding program, fathering about six healthy eaglets that were released into the wild.
—Sydney Page, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Filmed in June 2022 in Missouri, where the Boys State and Girls State programs were held on the same campus for the first time, Girls State shows the stark contrast between the camps both in their funding and in their expectations of their respective attendees.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
In Hawaii, the We the People party qualification petition is facing an objection from the Democratic Party of Hawaii, with a hearing to be held on April 5.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Several polls have shown Trump eating into Biden's margins with Black voters, but there is a healthy degree of skepticism that the polls, which traditionally have relatively small samples of nonwhite voters, are correct and that those numbers will hold on Election Day.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 1 Apr. 2024
The ceremony was held on Sunday at the Clark County Armory in Las Vegas.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
James Powel, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Blink-182 fans in Mexico held on to hope that the rock band’s bassist, Mark Hoppus, could overcome his health problems and perform the concerts scheduled for this weekend in the capital city.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
The nurses held on firmly as the building continued to shake.
—Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Reagan held on to the birds for a few years, then sent Captain to the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Mo., in 1988, and Carol went to the National Zoo in D.C.
Captain became part of a critical conservation breeding program, fathering about six healthy eaglets that were released into the wild.
—Sydney Page, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Filmed in June 2022 in Missouri, where the Boys State and Girls State programs were held on the same campus for the first time, Girls State shows the stark contrast between the camps both in their funding and in their expectations of their respective attendees.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
In Hawaii, the We the People party qualification petition is facing an objection from the Democratic Party of Hawaii, with a hearing to be held on April 5.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Several polls have shown Trump eating into Biden's margins with Black voters, but there is a healthy degree of skepticism that the polls, which traditionally have relatively small samples of nonwhite voters, are correct and that those numbers will hold on Election Day.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 1 Apr. 2024
The ceremony was held on Sunday at the Clark County Armory in Las Vegas.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of hold on was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near hold on
Cite this Entry
“Hold on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20on. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
hold on
verb1
: to keep a hold
More from Merriam-Webster on hold on
Nglish: Translation of hold on for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of hold on for Arabic Speakers
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