HOLDS ON Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

holds on

verb

present tense third-person singular of hold on

as in remains

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

as in waits

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 holds on The compilation misses remaining in the highest tier by only two rungs, while The Essential Michael Jackson barely holds on inside the bottom quarter of the 200-position roster. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 House Bill 945 establishes new regulations for cryptocurrency kiosks and allows financial institutions to place temporary holds on transactions when elder financial exploitation is suspected. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 29 June 2026 Nava’s specific approach to reining in rogue behavior by AI agents is the creation of an escrow service that holds on to funds until an agent proposes a transaction. — Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026 The camera holds on them mid-ascent. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holds on

Verb

Granted, Pollard needs only 1,083 yards to achieve a career high, but the Titans would like to get Tyjae Spears more involved and the overall quality of this offense remains a large question mark.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Grooming remains one of the biggest threats facing children and families, according to Jenkins.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of remains

Verb

In the film, Jasper dies after Bangley waits until the last minute to pick off some invaders that target Hig and his dog.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
The venture team owns the company relationship, the infrastructure team waits for scale, and the credit team waits for operating history.

— Rob Day, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of waits

Verb

An Exhibit 10 pays $91,000 if a player is waived, as most are, signs with a franchise’s G League team and then stays for at least 60 days.

— CJ Moore, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Every day a role stays open means lost productivity and revenue, lower team morale and ongoing recruitment costs.

— Audrey Payne, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of stays

Verb

Allen continues to don the cape for the Bills, but offseason moves improved his receiving core, and new coach Joe Brady appears determined to attack with greater aggression.

— Mike Jones, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Balfe’s couture style continues a recent streak from other TIFF 2026 attendees who’ve turned to couture collections for their red carpet stints.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026