English Meaning & Definitions
To wait for a short period of time, especially during a telephone conversation or when someone is busy.
- “Could you hold on for a moment while I see if she is available?”
- “The operator asked me to hold on while the call was transferred.”
To maintain a firm grip on something or to stay in a particular position despite difficulty.
- “You should hold on to the handrail when the bus starts moving.”
- “The climber managed to hold on to the ledge until help arrived.”
An exclamation used to tell someone to stop, wait, or pay attention to something unexpected.
- “Hold on! I think we've taken the wrong turn.”
- “Hold on a second, did you just say you're moving to Japan?”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “hold on”.
A phrasal verb originating from the Old English 'healdan' (to contain, grasp, or retain). The addition of the preposition 'on' implies continuation or attachment. Its use as a request to wait emerged in the mid-19th century, likely derived from the physical act of stopping a horse or a vehicle by holding the reins or controls tight.
Think of 'holding on' to a telephone cord while you wait for the person on the other end to return.
Frequently Asked Questions About “hold on”
1. What is the meaning of “hold on” in English?
In English, hold on (verb) is defined as: “To wait for a short period of time, especially during a telephone conversation or when someone is busy.”.
2. How do you use “hold on” in a sentence?
“Could you hold on for a moment while I see if she is available?”
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “hold on”?
A phrasal verb originating from the Old English 'healdan' (to contain, grasp, or retain). The addition of the preposition 'on' implies continuation or attachment. Its use as a request to wait emerged in the mid-19th century, likely derived from the physical act of stopping a horse or a vehicle by holding the reins or controls tight.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.