1
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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.
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Recent Examples of held on
Pretti was being held on the ground when an officer appeared to remove a gun from Pretti's waistband just moments before another agent fired the first shot.
—
Joe Walsh, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, Turcotte held on to the lead after a dominant first run.
—Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Gerlach is being held on $1 million bail.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
He was being held on a $25,000 bond Thursday night at the Broward Main Jail, jail records show.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
This World Cup, held on home soil, represents both a golden opportunity and a defining moment for Mexican football.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
The European Film Academy will present Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher with the European Achievement in World Cinema Award at the 38th European Film Awards, to be held on January 17, 2026, in Berlin.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Meneses is being held on $1 million bond.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Additionally, there will be two masterclasses to be held on the same day, featuring conversations with actor Danny Trejo, and filmmaker Gia Coppola.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Joe Walsh, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, Turcotte held on to the lead after a dominant first run.
—Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Gerlach is being held on $1 million bail.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
He was being held on a $25,000 bond Thursday night at the Broward Main Jail, jail records show.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
This World Cup, held on home soil, represents both a golden opportunity and a defining moment for Mexican football.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
The European Film Academy will present Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher with the European Achievement in World Cinema Award at the 38th European Film Awards, to be held on January 17, 2026, in Berlin.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Meneses is being held on $1 million bond.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Additionally, there will be two masterclasses to be held on the same day, featuring conversations with actor Danny Trejo, and filmmaker Gia Coppola.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on
Verb
-
To his credit, Onana remained at the heart of the battle and was evidently key to Villa staving off Bournemouth’s set-play threat.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The prosecution said a medical report noted Lai’s general health condition remained stable.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The event was put on hold for several minutes as medical professionals tended to Vonn and waited for a helicopter to carry her off the mountain.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Greene, her son, and her parents joined hundreds of others and waited two hours for the monks to pass by.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Precious metals continued to reach new heights Monday, but in a rare phenomenon, silver is actually moving faster than gold.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
As of Monday evening, police had not released details about a possible suspect and continued to canvass the area for information.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Their face-to-face visit lasted about an hour and was followed by lunch.—
MICHELLE L. PRICE,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The dichotomy has lasted weeks and is finally about to shift – but only after one more major blast of Arctic air this weekend for the East.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His poems distilled the tension between belonging and alienation, capturing a society where every day life persisted under the long shadow of armed checkpoints and simmering mistrust.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
-
While this winter has been much snowier than normal, soil moisture conditions are lower than normal due to the flash drought that developed last summer and persisted into fall.—
Trey Fulbright,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20on. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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