hold on. or hold onto. 1. phrasal verb. If you hold on, or hold onto something, you keep your hand on it or around it, for example to prevent the thing from falling or to support yourself. His right arm was extended up beside his head, still holding on to a coffee cup. [VERB PARTICLE + to] President Joe Biden reiterated US support for Ukraine in a news conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Tuesday as he called on the US Congress to pass a new aid package In my experience as a native AmE speaker, hold onto has more of the connotation that you are actually on something unstable (or a moving vehicle), and that you should hold onto something for safety; whereas hold on to gives me the impression that there is something less massive than you, and you should hold on to it so that you do not lose contr ueN7or.

hold on onto meaning