hold on

1. 1.

   hold firmly

   Synonymsgrasp

   Broaderhold

   Narrowerlatch onclingclasp
2. 2.

   stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments

   “Hold on a moment!”

   Synonymsstop

   Broaderinterrupt
3. 3.

   be persistent, refuse to stop

   “he persisted to call me every night”

   “The child persisted and kept asking questions”

   Synonymsperseverepersisthang inhang on

   Broadercontinue

   Narrowerobstinateask for itplugstick to
4. 4.

   hold the phone line open

   “Please hang on while I get your folder”

   Synonymshang onhold the line

   Broaderexpect

   telephone

5. 5.

   retain possession of

   “Can I keep my old stuffed animals?”

   “She kept her maiden name after she married”

   Synonymskeep

   Broaderhave

   Narrowercarry overdenywithholdsavestoreretainharbor

Questions about hold on

What does hold on mean?

hold on means "hold firmly". That is the primary sense; the word has 5 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for hold on?

Close synonyms include grasp, stop, persevere, persist, hang in. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is hold on a common word?

hold on is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.