hold on
Britishverb
-
to maintain a firm grasp
she held on with all her strength
-
to continue or persist
-
(foll by to) to keep or retain
hold on to those stamps as they'll soon be valuable
-
to keep a telephone line open
interjection
-
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]
-
Continue to do something, persist, as in Please hold on for a while longer . [Late 1800s]
-
Stop, wait, as in Hold on! We can't go past this gate . [Mid-1800s]
-
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.
It left her family living with the knowledge of what was coming, while trying to hold on to everyday life.
From BBC
He marveled at Epstein’s hold on so many people.
From Barron's
Arcadia 5, El Dorado 4: The Apaches scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning, then held on for the National Classic win.
From Los Angeles Times
Her hair had a choke hold on me, and I couldn’t get past it.
From Literature
It’s a feeling I want to hold on to forever, and I forget that I’m just regular me, and I let myself be who I think he wants me to be.
From Literature
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.
