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

Nearly a year since the sides agreed to a ceasefire, much of the population in Gaza remains effectively homeless.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Its governing structure remains authoritarian, and its laws remain discriminatory.

— Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of remains

Verb

Lower reimbursement can mean fewer available physicians, longer waits for appointments, and greater reliance on emergency rooms for routine care.

— Nicolette Natale, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Further down the line, Karen Johnson waits with a young girl in the passenger seat.

— Andrea Lucia, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of waits

Verb

Venus retrograde in Scorpio and Libra lasts from October 3 to November 13, and asks us to decipher who and what respects and esteems us (and vice versa).

— Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2026
The loss of estrogen starts up to 10 years before a woman begins menopause and lasts the rest of her life, Rubin says.

— Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of lasts

Verb

Take Ludwig, 2018, the artist’s first CGI video, which for eight minutes stays fixed on a single CGI blond boy who rolls around in the dark hold of a ship amid a storm.

— Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
Ted Turner Reserves also owns and operates four retreats—Armendaris, Ladder, and Sierra Grande in southern New Mexico; Vermejo in the north, on the border with Colorado—where wildlife-watching and nature excursions are built into travelers’ stays.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of stays

Verb

The announcements came at Meta Connect 2026 as the company continues shifting its wearable strategy toward glasses and its personal AI agent, Muse.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
Nolan Scott of Corona del Mar continues to make impact as a tight end and defensive end.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026