hold on
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
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.
- Hold on tightly to the railing.
- (idiomatic) To keep; to store something for someone.
- Hold on to my umbrella while I ride the roller coaster.
- (idiomatic) Wait a short while.
- Hold on while I get my coat.
- 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
- 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.
- He didn't give up his fandom when others did; he held on.
- (idiomatic) To 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.
Synonyms[edit]
- (grasp or grip firmly): belock, hold tight; See also Thesaurus:grasp
- (store something for someone): keep, store
- (wait a short while): cool one's heels, hang on; See also Thesaurus:wait
- (stay loyal): keep faith
- (persist): go on, last, remain; See also Thesaurus:persist
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