Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb hold_on

5 senses of hold on

Sense 1
grasp, hold on -- (hold firmly)
       => hold, take hold -- (have or hold in one's hands or grip; "Hold this bowl for a moment, please"; "A crazy idea took hold of him")

Sense 2
hold on, stop -- (stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments; "Hold on a moment!")
       => interrupt, break -- (terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky streak"; "break the cycle of poverty")

Sense 3
persevere, persist, hang in, hang on, hold on -- (be persistent, refuse to stop; "he persisted to call me every night"; "The child persisted and kept asking questions")
       => continue, uphold, carry on, bear on, preserve -- (keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last; "preserve the peace in the family"; "continue the family tradition"; "Carry on the old traditions")

Sense 4
hang on, hold the line, hold on -- (hold the phone line open; "Please hang on while I get your folder")
       => expect, look, await, wait -- (look forward to the probable occurrence of; "We were expecting a visit from our relatives"; "She is looking to a promotion"; "he is waiting to be drafted")

Sense 5
keep, hold on -- (retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married")
       => have, have got, hold -- (have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense; "She has $1,000 in the bank"; "He has got two beautiful daughters"; "She holds a Master's degree from Harvard")