hold the line

Questions about hold the line

What is another word for hold the line?

Across its 2 senses, hold the line has 2 distinct synonyms: hang on, hold on. Each belongs to a specific meaning, listed on this page under the sense it serves.

What is the opposite of hold the line?

WordNet records no antonym for hold the line. Antonymy in WordNet is a relation between specific word forms rather than between concepts, so it is recorded only where lexicographers judged the pairing direct. An absence here means none was recorded, not that none can be imagined.

Why are the synonyms for hold the line split into groups?

Because hold the line carries 2 recorded senses and each has its own set of substitutes. A single flat list would put words from unrelated meanings side by side with nothing to tell them apart, which is exactly how a writer picks the wrong one. The grouping comes from WordNet's synsets, not from an editorial judgement of ours.

Where do the synonyms for hold the line come from?

From Princeton University's WordNet, a lexical database maintained by lexicographers since 1985. A synonym here means a word form that shares a synset with this word — a set of forms interchangeable in one recorded context. Nothing on this page is generated by a language model.

Other views of hold the line

• Full entry for hold the lineAll 2 senses, with examples, usage labels, syllables and pronunciation.
• Rhymes for hold the lineWhether this word can be rhymed at all — it is not in the pronouncing dictionary.
• Thesaurus homeHow WordNet synsets work, and the collections built for synonym work.