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 Brown raced out to a 17-0 lead at halftime and held on for the road win. — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026 She is currently being held on a $5 million bond and will be tried as an adult. — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 14 Sep. 2026 There are ambitious plans for the development of the stadium, with a planning meeting expected to be held on September 16, which should hopefully see those plans take a significant step forward. — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Rituals are held on the final day to pray for the souls of the departed. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026 Last year, the Venice amfAR Gala was held on a private island only accessible by water bus, with an after-party on another, more beautiful private Venetian island that was difficult to leave. — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 7 Sep. 2026 As the Times report noted, the Met Gala, an extravagant event held in tandem with the Costume Institute’s spring show, is typically held on the first Monday in May. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026 The draw for the Doubles competitions will be held on September 1. — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026 But from a brand perspective, YSL Beauty took the number-one spot in 2025 and has held on to it since. — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on

Verb

Thin partitions marked an early attempt to slice the space into smaller rooms, but the original brick walls remained bare, shivering with cobwebs, where someone had pasted a picture of a man, holy hands bracketing a redbrick heart.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Yet, the oxygen isotopes in these primitive samples remained virtually untouched by parent-body alteration.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of remained

Verb

But in recent weeks, hundreds, if not thousands, of immigrants — babies, children and elderly adults included — have waited for hours outside its doors to attend routine hearings.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Earlier that month, Greg Rogers, chief fiscal officer for the Education Department, said the department waited before requesting additional funds to determine how many students would actually use the accounts they were approved to receive.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of waited

Verb

This style of display continued throughout the exhibit, as just around the corner, a lifelike Luke Skywalker stood next to his landspeeder on a mock Tatooine while a Jawa hid nearby.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 22 Sep. 2026
An offseason filled with roster shuffling continued Tuesday for the Charlotte Hornets, who completed a three-player deal with Atlanta to land another guard with perimeter shooting potential.

— Staff reports, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of continued

Verb

Five of the Bulldogs’ scoring drives lasted one or two plays.

— Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Skip Schumaker’s history with late-season runs The first-year Rangers manager is deprecating about his playing career as mostly a utility player, which lasted from 2005 to 2015 and covered tenures with the Cardinals, Dodgers and Reds.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of lasted

Verb

Declining natural gas exports have deprived Bolivia of dollars needed to import gasoline and diesel, contributing to chronic fuel shortages since 2023 that have persisted under Paz.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
By then, an incorrect setup, quality issue or access control issue could have persisted for weeks or months.

— Ramachander Rao Thallada, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026