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

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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 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 Under the agreement, OAC would pay $110 million plus 6% of all future annual gross ticket sales from events held on the site. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 13 July 2026 Still, Thomas Tuchel’s side held on to win an entertaining contest. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 11 July 2026 Public hearings for the case were held on two separate days in march and April, with more than 30 people attending, the court said. — ABC News, 6 July 2026 The free concerts, which began in 2000, are sponsored by the Clarendon Hills Chamber of Commerce and are held on Prospect Avenue, between the railroad tracks and Park Avenue in the downtown area. — Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2026 At their Manhattan Supreme Criminal Court arraignments, Vern Joly was ordered held without bail while his father was ordered held on $250,000 bond. — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on

Verb

As of Wednesday, the full stop-work order remained in effect, according to the agency.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
The vacation marks another public meeting for Aniston and Cox, who have remained close since Friends wrapped in 2004.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026

Definition of remained

Verb

Surrounded by hundreds of butterflies fluttering between tropical plants inside the Powell Gardens Conservatory, Heidi Boehm watched as visitors stopped, looked upward and waited for one to land nearby.

— Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
The Bering Air flight’s takeoff was initially delayed four hours as the pilot waited for the weather to improve, but eventually the plane with the pilot and nine passengers took off.

— Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 30 July 2026

Definition of waited

Verb

The rabid cheering section continued through the bottom of the ninth when Jo Adell came to the dish with the bases loaded and a tie ballgame with the chance to walk it off.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
Harrison’s concerns from college — soft routes, struggling with press coverage — have continued in the NFL.

— Jake Ciely, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of continued

Verb

Hip still bothering Springs Springs lasted just four innings after issuing a season-high five walks, throwing 86 pitches — only 51% of them strikes — and gave up his 28th home run of the season, the most of any pitcher in the league.

— Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
That lasted about a week until the numbers came back down again close to its baseline.

— Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of lasted

Verb

The tight plastic handcuffs caused numbness in her dominant hand that persisted for weeks, documents said, and tests showed that the handcuffs ruptured at least one ligament in her wrist.

— Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 29 July 2026
On Sunday, Koivun entered the final round with a three-shot lead, where the magic persisted and that mental strength continued to reveal itself.

— Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 28 July 2026