1. be persistent, refuse to stop; "he persisted to call me every night"; "The child persisted and kept asking questions"
2. stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments; "Hold on a moment!"
3. hold the phone line open; "Please hang on while I get your folder"
4. hold firmly
5. retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married"

Similar Words: persevere, persist, hang in, hang on, stop, hold the line, grasp, keep

 

See Also: withhold, keep back, retain, hold, hold back

 

Hyponyms: obstinate, ask for it, ask for trouble, plug, plug away, stick to, stick with, follow, cling, hang, clasp, carry over, hold over, deny, refuse, withhold, deduct, recoup, save, preserve, store, hive away, lay in, put in, salt away, stack away, stash away, retain, hold, keep back, hold back, harbor, harbour

 

Grouped Verbs: keep open, hold open, keep, save

 

Entailments: call, telephone, call up, phone, ring

 

Derivational Morphology: doggedness, perseverance, persistence, persistency, tenacity, tenaciousness, pertinacity, perseveration, arrest, check, halt, hitch, stay, stop, stoppage, clasp, clench, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip, hold, grasping, taking hold, seizing, prehension, retention, keeping, holding