hodl

American

[hod-l, hohd-l, eych-oh-dee-el] / ˈhɒd l, ˈhoʊd l, ˈeɪtʃˈoʊˈdiˈɛl /

Or HODL

verb (used with or without object)

to avoid selling (cryptocurrency, other digital assets, or stocks), especially over a long period of time.

I only hodl currencies that see steady, long-term rises.
This platform allows you to buy and HODL easily.

adjective

being or relating to a strategy of keeping cryptocurrency, other digital assets, or stocks for a long time rather than selling them for quick, short-term gains.

Many investors have a hodl mindset, expecting any cryptocurrency they buy to automatically rise in value if they keep it long enough.

Etymology

Origin of hodl

First recorded in 2013 ; misspelling of hold

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.

Hodl space for this group of investors.

From MarketWatch

Early on Thursday, though, Saylor took to X, the social-media platform, to write: “HODL,” a reference to an inside joke that means: hold on to your bitcoin.

From The Wall Street Journal

Basically, while Strategy founder and Executive Chairman Michael Saylor keeps using the “HODL” acronym for bitcoin — Hold On for Dear Life — people don’t seem to feel the same about Strategy’s stock.

From MarketWatch

Saylor has continually urged investors to “HODL,” or hold on for dear life, an initialism reminding Bitcoin fans to cling to their digital assets for the long term.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023