Definition of Hold on

1. Verb. Hold firmly.

Exact synonyms: Grasp
Specialized synonyms: Latch On, Cling, Hang, Clasp
Generic synonyms: Hold, Take Hold
Derivative terms: Grasp, Grasping

2. Verb. Stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments. "Hold on a moment!"
Exact synonyms: Stop
Generic synonyms: Break, Interrupt
Derivative terms: Stop, Stoppage

3. Verb. Be persistent, refuse to stop. "The child persisted and kept asking questions"

4. Verb. Hold the phone line open. "Please hang on while I get your folder"
Exact synonyms: Hang On, Hold The Line
Category relationships: Telephone, Telephony
Generic synonyms: Await, Expect, Look, Wait
Entails: Call, Call Up, Phone, Ring, Telephone

5. Verb. Retain possession of. "They hold on the money "; "She kept her maiden name after she married"
Exact synonyms: Keep
Specialized synonyms: Carry Over, Hold Over, Deny, Refuse, Deduct, Recoup, Withhold, Preserve, Save, Hive Away, Lay In, Put In, Salt Away, Stack Away, Stash Away, Store, Store, Hold, Hold Back, Keep Back, Retain, Harbor, Harbour
Generic synonyms: Have, Have Got, Hold
Related verbs: Hold Open, Keep, Keep Open, Save
Also: Keep Back, Keep Back
Derivative terms: Keeping
Antonyms: Lose

Definition of Hold on

1. Verb. To grasp or grip firmly. ¹

2. Verb. (idiomatic) To keep; to store something for someone. ¹

3. Verb. (idiomatic) Wait a short while. ¹

4. Verb. (idiomatic) To remain loyal. ¹

5. Verb. (idiomatic) To persist ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Hold On

hold baggage
hold close
hold dear
hold down
hold fast
hold fire
hold firm
hold forth
hold hands
hold hard
hold hostage
hold in
hold it
hold luggage
hold off
hold on (current term)
hold one's breath
hold one's head above water
hold one's head high
hold one's horses
hold one's liquor
hold one's nerve
hold one's own
hold one's pee
hold one's tongue
hold one's urine
hold one's water
hold open
hold out

Literary usage of Hold on

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The woman in white by Wilkie Collins (1871)
"It was hard, when I had fastened my hold on him, at last, to loosen it again of my own accord—but I forced myself to make the sacrifice. ..."

2. Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana (1897)
"... bringing up with a sudden jerk, which made it necessary to hold on with both hands, and then sweeping off in another long, irregular curve. ..."

3. Israel in Egypt: Sacred Oratorio by George Frideric Handel, Georg Friedrich Händel, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Horace Wadham Nicholl (1900)
"... hold on them. hold on th'em. hold,. shall take hold on \ hold, them. on them, shall take hold on them. ..."

4. United States Supreme Court Reports by Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Company, United States Supreme Court (1903)
"We hold on the authority of Hewitt v. Schul tz that it was beyond the power of the Secretary to make such an order in respect of lands within the indemnity ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Hold on on Dictionary.com!Search for Hold on on Thesaurus.com!Search for Hold on on Google!Search for Hold on on Wikipedia!

Search

Translations