hold on

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.

   Synonyms:

   belock, hold tight, beclasp, begrasp, begrip, clasp, clench, clinch, cling, clutch

2. (idiomatic) To keep; to store something for someone.
   • Hold on to my umbrella while I ride the roller coaster.

   Synonyms:

   keep, store

3. (idiomatic) To retain an advantage.
   • I'm holding on to my trump cards until I really need them.
4. (idiomatic) Wait a short while.
   • Hold on while I get my coat.
   • 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.”1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   cool one's heels, hang on, abide, back that train up, bide, bide one's time, expect, defer, hold one's breath, hold one's horses

5. (idiomatic) To remain loyal.
   • He didn't give up his fandom when others did; he held on.

   Synonyms:

   keep faith, abide by, go to the wall for someone, stand by, stick by, stick with

6. (idiomatic) To persist.
   • This trade held on for many years.1723, Jonathan Swift, Some Arguments Against Enlarging the Power of Bishops
   • 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 1984.2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC

   Synonyms:

   go on, last, remain, abide, aby, astand, endure, lie, prevail, live