hold on
English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Verb
[edit]hold on (third-person singular simple present holds on, present participle holding on, simple past and past participle held on)
- To grasp or grip firmly.
- Synonyms: belock, hold tight; see also Thesaurus:grasp
- Hold on tightly to the railing.
- (idiomatic) To keep; to store something for someone.
- (idiomatic) To retain an advantage.
- I'm holding on to my trump cards until I really need them.
- (idiomatic) Wait a short while.
- Synonyms: cool one's heels, hang on; see also Thesaurus:wait
- Hold on while I get my coat.
- 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
- The departure was not unduly prolonged. In the road Mr. Love and the driver favoured the company with a brief chanty running. “Got it?—No, I ain't, 'old on,—Got it? Got it?—No, 'old on sir.”
- (idiomatic) To remain loyal.
- Synonyms: keep faith; see also Thesaurus:keep faith
- He didn't give up his fandom when others did; he held on.
- (idiomatic) To persist.
- Synonyms: go on, last, remain; see also Thesaurus:persist
- 1723, Jonathan Swift, Some Arguments Against Enlarging the Power of Bishops:
- This trade held on for many years.
- 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:
- That scare aside, Wolves had little trouble in holding on for their first league away win of the season and their first over the Reds since little-known striker Steve Mardenborough gave them a victory at Anfield in January 1984.
Usage notes
[edit]The phrasal verb hold on is intransitive, but the phrasal verb hold on to is transitive.
Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]wait a minute
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to hold, grasp, or grip
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to keep; to store something for someone
stay loyal
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