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.
The Metropolitan Police said the man was arrested in Croydon on Friday and remains in custody but have not yet said what he is being held on suspicion of.
From BBC
The regime had held on for nearly half a century; it was too soon to know just how bloody its exit might be.
From Los Angeles Times
Homeowners are holding on to their homes for longer across the U.S., partly because many older people are still working or want to age in place.
He argued that the founders didn’t foresee the desire of federal lawmakers to hold on to their positions.
Still, he held on to a slither of hope.
From Barron's
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.
