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

But while that proposal is off the table, the specter of mining near the refuge remains.

— Drew Kann, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
While Kyiv has made significant progress since 2022 in defending itself against Russian missile and drone attacks, the country remains extremely vulnerable to ballistic missile strikes.

— Ihor N. Stelmach, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026

Definition of remains

Verb

The initial pursuit — which technically lasts the entire episode — is plagued by stops and starts to introduce characters and better explain the stakes.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 July 2026
The regular portal window normally opens right after the championship game and lasts for 15 days.

— Tobias Bass, New York Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of lasts

Verb

Thanks to streams flowing from the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, the water stays nice and cool to help beat the summer heat.

— Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 16 July 2026
In Miami, the city’s Miami 21 zoning code prohibits lodging stays fewer than 30 days in multi-family residential buildings like The Club unless the building has a special Certificate of Use (CU) designating it a condo-hotel.

— Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026

Definition of stays

Verb

Demand for high-bandwidth memory chips continues to outstrip supply as cloud providers race to build AI infrastructure, allowing leading memory makers such as SK Hynix and Micron to maintain strong pricing power.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Georgia baseball continues to be one of the most active teams in the transfer portal, entering Wednesday with 15 new additions.

— Hunter DeLauder, AJC.com, 16 July 2026