as in holding up
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in remaining
to remain indefinitely in existence or in the same state
the ancient beliefs still held on in remote mountain villages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in waiting
to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something
hold on a minute—it's not your turn
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of holding on
Jordan Mendoza, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Record levels of burnout — a seven-year high, with 61% of employees reporting at least moderate burnout — suggest many are simply holding on.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Tad Smith, the former CEO of Sotheby’s and now partner at 50T Funds, a growth equity firm focused on digital assets, said many wealthy crypto investors are holding on to their bitcoin and other tokens expecting a further run-up in price.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, her hair was trimmed in a shaggy pixie cut; the front just barely holding on to the top of her forehead.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
One of the photos featured Justin sitting in the passenger seat of a car while holding on to Jack's feet, with the toddler standing on his father's lap.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
During their conversation, France speaks about holding on tightly to his little ones.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Howe is still talking about the possibility of holding on to Isak and reintegrating him into the Newcastle squad.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
The Miami secondary settled down in team periods, though, and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was often holding on to the ball or checking it down.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
Also, Southern California visits Nebraska with both sides holding on for dear life.
—Jordan Mendoza, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Record levels of burnout — a seven-year high, with 61% of employees reporting at least moderate burnout — suggest many are simply holding on.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Tad Smith, the former CEO of Sotheby’s and now partner at 50T Funds, a growth equity firm focused on digital assets, said many wealthy crypto investors are holding on to their bitcoin and other tokens expecting a further run-up in price.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, her hair was trimmed in a shaggy pixie cut; the front just barely holding on to the top of her forehead.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2025
One of the photos featured Justin sitting in the passenger seat of a car while holding on to Jack's feet, with the toddler standing on his father's lap.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
During their conversation, France speaks about holding on tightly to his little ones.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Howe is still talking about the possibility of holding on to Isak and reintegrating him into the Newcastle squad.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
The Miami secondary settled down in team periods, though, and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was often holding on to the ball or checking it down.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding on
Verb
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Congress has already approved six of its 12 annual spending bills, but the remaining funding accounts for 75% of all discretionary spending.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Jan. 2026
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China National Nuclear Corporation holds a 51% stake, while China Guodian Corporation owns the remaining 49%.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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China, specifically, is not waiting around on solar power.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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As the deep freeze approaches, Crow warned that waiting too long could be costly.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Key to the truce continuing to hold is the disarming of Hamas, something that the militant group that has controlled the Palestinian territory since 2007 has refused to do, despite Israel seeing it as nonnegotiable.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
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In roles such as data entry or certain IT support functions, AI appears to be absorbing a growing share of core responsibilities — continuing a long-running trend toward automation.—
Anisha Sircar,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The declaration was adopted in Paris by the Coalition of the Willing and sets out what leaders said was a framework for lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia, set in international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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The image of Gobert fumbling with the ball and having his shot attempt rim out has been a lasting one.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20on. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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