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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on

Verb

As her pregnancy progressed, Kabita’s belly swelled while the rest of her remained gaunt.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
When the Los Angeles County wildfires broke out last year, the Palisades Village remained largely unscathed after Caruso hired private firefighters to protect it.

— Tom Wait, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of remained

Verb

Workers have registered their numbers to get paid through mobile money transactions, signed attendance sheets and waited for payment notifications, but only some were eventually paid.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
The three sat inside their cars, out of the hot August gloom, and waited.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of waited

Verb

His velocity has continued to sink lower than his average speed in past seasons.

— Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
More than 1,100 homes were destroyed and at least 8,300 were damaged as rescue workers and volunteers continued searching for survivors, CBS News reported.

— Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of continued

Verb

Alex Lange smoothly handled the seventh, but lefty Aaron Bummer only lasted 20 pitches into the eighth inning and allowed a Josh Bell RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2 before he was replaced by right-hander Nate Pearson.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026
Her dad decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, and started his own restaurant that lasted for 28 years.

— Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of lasted

Verb

Many aid organizations were already on the ground in Choco supporting a 2016 peace accord between the government and leftist rebels, and responding to violence in the region involving other armed groups that has persisted since then.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Dry and warm weather that persisted over much of the interior West, Southwest and Rockies also fueled wildfires, including in eastern Oregon, where wildfires burned over 140,000 acres in July, according to NOAA.

— Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026