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.
I’d only buy into this IPO and hold on to the stock if I thought Oura could either beat its massive competitors or perhaps tempt them to buy it out.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
We cannot hold on to Cage, but we can’t escape him either.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
For years, the housing market has been starved for inventory with sellers opting to stay put in order to hold on to their low mortgage rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
This will allow warm air to hold on here with temperatures reaching the mid-20s Celsius but elsewhere highs of 14-20C are expected, around the average for this time of year.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
‘Just hold on a minute and I’ll get the key so I can unlock the bicycle.’
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
