Definition

Phrasal Verb: 1. To wait on the telephone: To remain connected and waiting on a telephone call, typically after the person you called has answered. 2. To maintain a position or limit: To keep something, such as prices, costs, or a situation, from changing or getting worse; to resist pressure for change.

Usage Examples

• Telephone Usage:
  • "Thank you for calling. Please hold the line and I'll connect you."
  • "Could you hold the line for a moment while I check that information for you?"
• Figurative Usage (Maintaining a Position):
  • "The government promised to hold the line on taxes this year."
  • "Our team managed to hold the line against the opponent's aggressive attacks in the second half."

Advanced Usage

• "to hold the line against [something]": To defend against or resist a particular force, change, or problem.
  • "The small force was ordered to hold the line against the advancing enemy."
  • "Activists are trying to hold the line against further environmental damage."

Variants and Related Words

• Hold (verb): To have or keep in one's hand; to contain; to maintain a position.
• Line (noun): A telephone connection; a boundary or limit; a series of people or things positioned to defend or resist.

Synonyms

• Wait (on the line/phone): To stay on the telephone.
• Stand firm / Stand fast: To refuse to change your position or give in.
• Keep a lid on: To keep something under control and prevent it from increasing.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Hold on: Often used interchangeably with "hold the line" in a telephone context.
  • "Hold on, I'll see if she's available."
• Hold off: To resist or delay something.
  • "They managed to hold off the price increase for another quarter."

Related Idioms

• Draw a line in the sand: To set a firm limit beyond which one will not go.
  • "The community drew a line in the sand against the new development."
• Toe the line: To conform to rules or standards.
  • "Employees are expected to toe the line on company policy." (Note: This idiom has a different meaning from "hold the line.")

Verb

1. hold the phone line open
   • Please hang on while I get your folder
2. hold the line on prices; keep the price of something constant