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
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Recent Examples of held on
Rivera-Estrada is accused of multiple felony offenses tied to manslaughter and child abuse and was held on a $100,000 bond, but county prosecutors did not file charges, and she was released from local custody before being taken into ICE custody on an immigration detainer.
—
Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
The campuswide commencement ceremony that celebrated all the undergraduate and graduate students was held on Saturday at Memorial Stadium on the University of California, Berkeley campus.
—Laura A. Oda, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
If runoffs are needed for any races, they will be held on June 16.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson had no challenges remaining as the Liberty held on for a 98-93 win.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 21, at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 11 May 2026
All three individuals were held on a $500,000 bond each and were expected to be arraigned on Monday in Hartford Superior Court.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026
But the Padres broke the tie with a check-swing RBI infield single by Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning, and San Diego held on to beat the Sox 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,171 at Petco Park.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
With the game tied and things looking ominous for the Galaxy, Elijah Wynder was held on a cross into the box.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
The campuswide commencement ceremony that celebrated all the undergraduate and graduate students was held on Saturday at Memorial Stadium on the University of California, Berkeley campus.
—Laura A. Oda, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
If runoffs are needed for any races, they will be held on June 16.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 18 May 2026
But Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson had no challenges remaining as the Liberty held on for a 98-93 win.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 21, at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 11 May 2026
All three individuals were held on a $500,000 bond each and were expected to be arraigned on Monday in Hartford Superior Court.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026
But the Padres broke the tie with a check-swing RBI infield single by Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning, and San Diego held on to beat the Sox 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,171 at Petco Park.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
With the game tied and things looking ominous for the Galaxy, Elijah Wynder was held on a cross into the box.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on
Verb
-
The bulk of the fans who remained after Detroit’s blowout Game 7 loss at Little Caesars Arena were there for the Cleveland Cavaliers after being bussed in by owner Dan Gilbert.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Gone was the meek servant child, replaced by a confident woman who remained composed during aggressive cross-examination.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Djena went back to the Toures’ house and waited.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The department said its investigation revealed that Marquez, a Hawthorne resident, is a former boyfriend of Fernandez and waited for her near her workplace.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The man continued moving around inside the fountain even as police ordered him to get out, according to the outlet.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
Even without funding for the security component ‒ and amid legal uncertainty ‒ construction on the ballroom has continued.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The verbal understanding, which lasted 43 years across six city administrations, is ending in May as city officials raised concerns about service levels, record-keeping and financial oversight.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
-
In his fourth start, the game lasted 26 innings.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Problems persisted, with the economy stagnant and Cubans still seeking to leave the country.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
-
The peak of Grok’s download popularity coincided with a January 2026 update that allowed Grok users to generate millions of sexualized images of women and children by using real photos to virtually undress people—a situation that persisted for weeks before developers addressed the situation.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20on. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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