English

Verb

hold on ‎(third-person singular simple present holds on, present participle holding on, simple past and past participle held on)

1. To grasp or grip firmly.

   Hold on tightly to the railing.‎

2. (idiomatic) To keep; to store something for someone.

   Hold on to my umbrella while I ride the roller coaster.‎

3. (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.”

4. (idiomatic) To remain loyal.

   He didn't give up his fandom when others did; he held on.‎

5. (idiomatic) To persist.
   • Jonathan Swift

     The 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

This verbal phrase is technically intransitive, but it almost always takes an indirect object in a transitive sense by means of the word "to".

Translations

Related terms

• hang on
• hold up
• on hold

Anagrams

• on hold