hold on
Britishverb
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to maintain a firm grasp
she held on with all her strength
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to continue or persist
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(foll by to) to keep or retain
hold on to those stamps as they'll soon be valuable
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to keep a telephone line open
interjection
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Also, hold on to . Maintain one's grip, cling, as in Hold on to your hat in this wind , or The early Christians held on to their beliefs despite strong opposition . [Early 1500s]
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Continue to do something, persist, as in Please hold on for a while longer . [Late 1800s]
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Stop, wait, as in Hold on! We can't go past this gate . [Mid-1800s]
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Remain on a telephone line, as in If you can hold on a minute I'll go and find her . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Indonesia’s central bank delivered a fourth consecutive rate hold on Thursday, a widely expected decision amid continued weakness in the rupiah.
The United States held on to win the gold medal by one point.
From Los Angeles Times
And even if they are able to hold on, the psychological and emotional stress is dangerous.
From MarketWatch
The awards ceremony will be held on 22 October and will be a collaboration between music industry body BPI, the council and Newcastle-based music developer Generator.
From BBC
The U.S. destroyed the group’s hold on territory with a military campaign including thousands of airstrikes and ground troops who backed Iraqi and Syrian forces.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
