1
[ verb ] hold firmly

Synonyms

grasp grip

Used in print

(The Christian Science Monitor,...)

He may respect too_much the Italian tradition of letting singers hold_on to their notes , but to restrain them in a singers ' opera may be quite difficult .

(Stephen Longstreet, Eagles Where I Walk....)

He slapped the reins on the back of the powerful gray horse and held_on as the sulky 's wheels hit a pothole and came_out with a jolt and went_on .

(Frieda Arkin, "The Light of the Sea," in The...)

He ran on his plump sticks of legs , freezing now_and_again into the sudden startled attitudes which the camera had caught and held_on the paling photographs , all carefully placed and glued and labeled , resting in the fat plush album in the bottom drawer of the escritoire .

(S. J. Perelman, The Rising Gorge. New York:...)

Hold_on tight .

Related terms

hold clasp cling clasp

2
[ verb ] stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments

Synonyms

stop break

Examples

"Hold on a moment!" "We broke at noon"

Related terms

interrupt arrest

3
[ verb ] be persistent, refuse to stop

Examples

"he persisted to call me every night" "The child persisted and kept asking questions"

Used in print

(Joseph Chadwick, No Land Is Free....)

`` Now , hold_on , damn_it ; I won n't '' -

4
[ verb ] hold the phone line open

Examples

"Please hang on while I get your folder"

Used in print

(Jean Mercier, Whatever You Do, Don't Panic....)

Somehow managing to get_out a cool , poised , `` Wo n't you hold_on a second , please '' , I covered up the mouthpiece , and with more warmth and less poise , gave a quick lecture on crime and punishment , mostly the latter , including Devil 's Island and the remoter reaches of Siberia .

Related terms

expect telephone call

5
[ verb ] retain possession of

Synonyms

keep

Examples

"Can I keep my old stuffed animals?" "She kept her maiden name after she married"

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