HELD ON Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

held on

verb

past tense of hold on

as in remained

to remain indefinitely in existence or in the same state the ancient beliefs still held on in remote mountain villages

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in waited

to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something hold on a minute—it's not your turn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of held on The team didn’t address the position in the draft or free agency, but the organization held on to tackle Cody Ford — who has lost 40 pounds — as a backup while giving him a pay cut. — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Ewing cut down another from left field moments later, and the New York Mets held on for a 2-1 victory Monday night. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 Two years after the engagement, the wedding was held on June 6, 2026 at Château Bellefont-Belcier in Saint-Émilion, France. — Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026 Alba Caño and Amanda Gutierres each scored in the second half to pull Boston (5-10-5) within one, but Portland (10-6-4) held on in the highest-scoring NWSL match of the season. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 Almanza was charged with threatening to commit an act of mass violence on school property and is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the Faulkner County jail. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2026 The 15-year-old is being held on suspicion of three counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 28 July 2026 Singer-songwriter events are held on select Mondays, while regular hours are concentrated around Thursday through Saturday. — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 The news was first reported at a press conference held on July 15 by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan Area of Naples (Soprintendenza ABAP Napoli), which supervised the excavation. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 20 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on

Verb

South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Seoul remained opposed to officially recognizing the North as a nuclear-weapon state, something Kim has long sought.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
The local Red Cross was helping with the search but could not say how many people remained buried, volunteer Gervais Ganagoro said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of remained

Verb

As the investigation and suspect search continued, police said that SWAT officers and drones were also deployed to assist.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Trade between the two countries had been expanding even as the US continued tightening sanctions on the regime.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of continued

Verb

Washington's veteran backup quarterback, Marcus Mariota, got the start but lasted just four plays.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
The first flight of the largest battery-electric aircraft to take to the skies lasted nearly half an hour while costing just $5 of electricity.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of lasted

Verb

Nigeria's security woes have also persisted in recent years with more mass kidnappings and killings, and have further spread to regions that were once spared the violence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Though the terminal partially resumed operations earlier this month, gas shortages and power cuts have persisted, prompting the government to impose additional electricity-conservation measures last week.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026