HELD ON Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

held on

verb

past tense of hold on

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of held on Rivera-Estrada is accused of multiple felony offenses tied to manslaughter and child abuse and was held on a $100,000 bond, but county prosecutors did not file charges, and she was released from local custody before being taken into ICE custody on an immigration detainer. —

Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026 The campuswide commencement ceremony that celebrated all the undergraduate and graduate students was held on Saturday at Memorial Stadium on the University of California, Berkeley campus. —

Laura A. Oda, Mercury News, 18 May 2026 If runoffs are needed for any races, they will be held on June 16. —

Irene Wright, USA Today, 18 May 2026 But Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson had no challenges remaining as the Liberty held on for a 98-93 win. —

Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026 The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 21, at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. —

Greg Evans, Deadline, 11 May 2026 All three individuals were held on a $500,000 bond each and were expected to be arraigned on Monday in Hartford Superior Court. —

Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026 But the Padres broke the tie with a check-swing RBI infield single by Xander Bogaerts in the eighth inning, and San Diego held on to beat the Sox 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,171 at Petco Park. —

Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026 With the game tied and things looking ominous for the Galaxy, Elijah Wynder was held on a cross into the box. —

Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held on

Verb

The bulk of the fans who remained after Detroit’s blowout Game 7 loss at Little Caesars Arena were there for the Cleveland Cavaliers after being bussed in by owner Dan Gilbert.

— Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 18 May 2026
Gone was the meek servant child, replaced by a confident woman who remained composed during aggressive cross-examination.

— Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026