held on

verb

Definition of held onnext
past tense of hold on
1
as in remained
to remain indefinitely in existence or in the same state the ancient beliefs still held on in remote mountain villages

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in waited
to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something hold on a minute—it's not your turn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on
  1. remained
  2. waited
  3. continued
  4. lasted
  5. persisted
Verb
  • The company’s earnings report fell short of expectations, though analysts remained optimistic about the database software firm’s cloud business.
    Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Instead, the gap remained essentially unchanged.
    Peter Ubel, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of remained
Verb
  • Vehicle owners either waited while tasks were performed, or arranged to have rides until such work was completed.
    Bill Koenig, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • While sitting bundled up in a chair, Lefebvre wore large sunglasses with a paper plate filled with birdseed attached and waited for her first visitor.
    Rachael O'Connor, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of waited
Verb
  • The prep version has continued ever since, most recently featuring matchups between 36 teams from around the country who played over two days at Chamblee High School in suburban Atlanta.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 11 Dec. 2024
  • His popularity continued well into the late night era of David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of continued
Verb
  • Those votes came after the board heard from 60 parents, teachers and community members during a public hearing that lasted more than two hours.
    Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 11 Dec. 2024
  • The imposition of martial law—the first in more than 40 years—lasted just six hours but sparked a domestic firestorm and widespread street protests.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of lasted
Verb
  • The call center data showed customers waiting less than 60 seconds for phone support, yet complaints about excessive wait times persisted.
    Roger Dooley, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Importantly, those improvements persisted even after the stimulation was switched off.
    Michael Irving, New Atlas, 8 Dec. 2024
Definition of persisted
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near held on

held off (on)

held on

held one's breath

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Cite this Entry

“Held on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20on. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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