The Phrasal Verb 'Hold On' Explained
- 16 hours ago
- 10 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'hold on' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native.
This post is all about the English phrasal verb 'hold on', which is one that is heard particularly a lot in spoken language. This versatile little phrasal verb is one that we can use to talk about waiting, keeping, and gripping things and can also be used to to express surprise or confusion. In this post, I will explain its different meanings for you and as per usual, I will give you lots of example sentences to help you to use it naturally and confidently. So, let's make a start and see what the phrasal verb 'hold on' is all about....
QUICK ANSWER: What does the phrasal verb 'hold on' mean?The phrasal verb 'hold on' has five main meanings in English:
Keep reading to learn more about how to use each one. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
HOLD ON: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 5 |
Past tense forms | Held on / Held on |
Separable? | No |
The phrasal verb 'hold on' is formed of the verb 'to hold' and the prepositional particle 'on' and to begin our exploration of it, let's first take a look at what these two individual words mean on their own....
Hold - I'm sure many of you will already be familiar with the verb 'to hold' as it is a fairly common one in English with several meanings. Probably the most common of these meanings is 'to keep something in your hands or arms for a period of time'. In addition, its meanings also include 'to contain', 'to support' and 'to wait'; all of which we will see again later in the post. 'To hold' is an irregular verb with 'held' being both of its past tense forms.
Could you hold my coat for a second.
I will hold your hand to cross the road.
The bottle can hold one litre of water.
Will this chair hold my weight?
Hold all payments until the goods have been delivered.
On - The prepositional particle 'on' appears frequently in phrasal verb constructions and can bring many different ideas to them. These include continuation (carry on, keep on), persistence (hang on), activation (turn on), attachment (put on) and transfer (pass on), among others.
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's carry on to the main meanings of the phrasal verb 'hold on'....
MEANING 1: To maintain a grip of something
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To hold, to hold tight, to grip |
Separable? | No |
The first meaning of 'hold on' that we will look at is arguably the most common and means 'to maintain a grip of something'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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For this first application of the phrasal verb 'hold on', we are focussing on the idea of holding something with our hands and gripping it firmly. This is typically to keep yourself in the position that you are in or to stop yourself from falling. It is often used to ensure that someone remains safe and unhurt.
For example, if you go on a roller coaster or a fast ride at a theme park, you should absolutely hold on when it goes fast, or if you are climbing a mountain, there may be times when you need to hold on to the rock face to ensure that you do not fall.
Note that we need the additional preposition 'to' here to specify the thing that someone holds for support or balance.
Hold on to the handrail while you walk down the stairs.
The little boy held on to his mother's hand as they crossed the busy road.
Michelle held on to the branch to stop herself from falling into the river.
The cyclist held on to the handlebars as he rode over the uneven ground.
I nearly slipped on the ice, but I held on to the fence and managed to stay upright.
As the bus pulled away, several passengers held on to the poles for support.
The climber held on to the rock face despite the strong wind.
This application of 'hold on' is commonly used in the imperative form to tell people to hold on to something for their own safety. When used this way, it is often followed by the words 'tight' or 'tightly'.
Hold on tight!
The ride goes very fast, so please hold on!
Another way that we can use this application of the phrasal verb 'hold on' is not to hold something for our own safety, but rather to hold on to something so that it does not fall or that we do not lose it. We will revisit this idea in another application later in the post.
Can you hold on to my bag while I go to the toilet.
Hold on to your passport while you're travelling.
Louise held on to her handbag tightly in the crowded station.
Lastly, we can also use this meaning of 'hold up' to refer to keeping an object in a fixed position or attached to a surface so that it does not fall. This is typically with the structure XXXX holds XXXX on the wall. Alternatively, it can also be formed with the passive "something is held on by XXXX".
The coloured letters are held on the fridge by magnets.
Glue holds the poster on the wall.
Tape holds the label on the box.
The screws hold the handle on the door.
MEANING 2: To wait for a short period of time
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To wait |
Separable? | No |
Let's not waste any time in moving on to the second of the meanings of the phrasal verb 'hold on', which is 'to wait for a short period'.
The first thing that I would say about this application is that it is also a very common one and is used particularly a lot in spoken English.
If you ask someone to "hold on", you are simply asking them to stop and wait before doing or continuing to do something. Most of the time, this application is used when the wait is relatively short, e.g. several minutes or even seconds. For example, you may ask someone to 'hold on' before they leave somewhere, or you may want to pause a conversation for a minute because you need to do something urgently and so you advise the other person to 'hold on' while you do it.
Hold on a minute, I'll be right back.
Hold on, I need to find my glasses.
Can you hold on for a second while I check?
Hold on a moment; I've nearly finished, so I can come with you.
Just hold on while I get a pen.
Hold on, there's someone at the door.
As with the previous application, this one is also often used in the imperative form when you want to tell someone to wait.
Hold on! I'm not ready yet.
Hold on a minute! I want to come too.
Lastly, this application is also used when making telephone calls, particularly to businesses and companies. If you call a company to speak to someone, especially a larger one, it is possible that the employee who answers the call will tell you to hold on while they transfer the call to the person you want to speak to or find out some information that you ask for.
Please hold on while I transfer your call to the finance team.
Would you mind holding on for a moment while I connect you.
The receptionist asked me to hold on while she checked the appointment schedule.
MEANING 3: To persist or survive
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To persist, to persevere, to survive |
Separable? | No |
If you didn't like the picture above of the cockroach, then I apologise, however I chose it because it is the perfect creature to illustrate this next meaning of the phrasal verb 'hold on' as people say that cockroaches would be the only thing to survive a nuclear bomb and this next application means 'to persist or survive'.
Specifically, we tend to use this application of 'hold on' to talk about dealing with difficult situations or enduring something tough before achieving success in the end.
This application is used across multiple areas of life from personal goals and objectives to business and commerce.
Despite the pain, Dean held on and finished the race.
The climbers held on through the freezing temperatures and managed to reach the summit by midday.
He wanted to quit several times, but he held on until the end of the course.
Many small businesses struggled to hold on during the economic downturn.
The company managed to hold on despite falling sales.
Several local shops are trying to hold on in the face of competition from large online retailers.
Probably the ultimate idea of holding on in this sense is surviving and we can use this application to talk about when people are extremely sick, injured or in a dangerous life-threatening situation and manage to pull through and not die.
The doctors weren't sure if George would hold on through the night.
Amelia was badly injured in the accident, but somehow she held on until help arrived.
The patient held on long enough to see his family one last time.
Despite losing a great deal of blood, Kevin held on until he reached the hospital.
We were all hoping that my grandfather would hold on until his birthday.
MEANING 4: To express surprise or confusion
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potetential synonyms | Hold up!, Wait! |
Separable? | No |
The next application of the phrasal verb 'hold on' is a bit different to the previous ones that we have looked at in the post so far because it is simply used as a way of expressing surprise or confusion.
To clarify, we use 'hold on' in this way when we hear, read or learn some new information that surprises or confuses us and we want to stop the conversation in order to try and understand it.
Typically, in a conversation a speaker will say "hold on" and then repeat the puzzling information back to the other person in a questioning tone to ask them to give more information or explain further.
This is commonly used in situations where a speaker contradicts themselves (says something that does not correspond to something that they previously said) or when some information seems to be incorrect or does not seem right. It can also be used when someone says something surprising and you want to make sure that you understood correctly.
USAGE TIPIf you really want to sound like a native speaker, you can also add 'a second' or 'a minute' after 'hold on' as we do this all the time! |
Hold on! You've won the lottery?
Hold on a second, you're moving to Australia next week?
Hold on, I'm confused. Didn't you say the meeting was cancelled?
Hold on, I thought we were going by train.
Hold on a minute; the figures don't match.
Hold on, you've changed your story.
MEANING 5: To keep something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To keep, to hang on |
Separable? | No |
For our fifth and final application of the phrasal verb 'hold on', we are going full circle back to the first application again as this one means 'to keep something'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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If you ever borrow something from an English speaker, it is possible at the moment when you want to return the item to them that they tell you to "hold on to it". If they do do this, they simply mean that you keep it for a while longer or forever as they no longer want or need it.
As such, we can use 'hold on' in this way as a synonym of the verb 'to keep' and this type of borrowing and returning situation is most likely when you will come across it.
I've already read that novel. You can hold on to it if you'd like.
Don't worry about returning the bowl; just hold on to it.
I've got plenty of mugs, so hold on to that one.
You can hold on to the jacket. It doesn't fit me anymore.
I was going to throw the bike away, so you might as well hold on to it.
Alternatively, it can also be used when you want to tell someone to keep something that they already own and not throw it away or get rid of it.
Hold on to your ticket because you might need it later.
Elaine held on to all of her childhood photographs.
I think you should hold on to that old watch; it might be valuable one day.
Simon held on to the letter for years after his girlfriend had written it.
Another way that you may come across this final application of 'hold on' is in general society with reference to jobs, politics or power. We can use it here to talk about when someone is able to keep a job, a position or to continue to hold power in a country and not lose it. Furthermore, you can also use it with beliefs, memories and feelings when those that you have do not change over a period of time.
The liberal party narrowly held on to power after the election.
They are determined to hold on to their independence.
Mark held on to the hope that he would see her again.
The native people held on to their traditions despite many changes in society.
Valerie worked hard to hold on to her job during the recession.
The company is struggling to hold on to its best employees.
The country fought to hold on to its territory.
We have now reached the end of this post and I hope that you have found it useful and that it has helped you to understand how to use the phrasal verb 'hold on' more confidently and naturally.
Please feel free to leave any comments, feedback or your own sentences using 'hold on' in the section below. Also, if you found the post useful, please like and share it on social media.
You can also check out my new downloadable PDF "40 B2-Level Phrasal Verbs That Native Speakers Use Daily", which looks at 40 essential common phrasal verbs for conversations with native English speakers, with examples, common mistakes and exercises that you cannot find on this website. You can find it here.
See you next time! James 😊
THE END