on hold


on hold

1. Of a telephone call, temporarily suspended without being disconnected. Thank you for your query. I'll have to put you on hold while I ask my supervisor about this issue. I've been on hold for over an hour trying to talk to someone from the bank.2. Paused, postponed, or suspended. The project is on hold while we figure out why the website keeps crashing. We said we'd put the relationship on hold while I got my degree in Alaska, but I think we both knew that it was the end of the road for us.See also: hold, on

on hold

 1. Lit. waiting; temporarily halted. The building project is on hold while we try to find money to complete it. We put our wedding plans on hold until we finished school. 2. Fig. left waiting on a telephone line. I hate to call up someone and then end up on hold. I waited on hold for ten minutes when I called city hall.See also: hold, on

on hold

1. In a state of temporary interruption, but not disconnection, during a telephone call, as in While I was on hold, I checked my calendar for when I could schedule a meeting, or They had to put me on hold while they looked up my account. [c. 1960] 2. In a state of postponement or delay, as in When she was transferred, they had to put their romance on hold. This figurative usage is a broadened sense of def. 1. [Colloquial; c. 1970] See also: hold, on

on ˈhold

delayed until a later time or date: We can’t find the money, so all our plans are on hold at the moment. ♢ We’ll have to put the decision on hold until we get more details.See also: hold, on

on hold

1. Into a state of temporary interruption without severing a telephone connection: put me on hold for 10 minutes.2. Informal Into a state of delay or indeterminate suspension: had to put the romance on hold.See also: hold, on