intransitive verb
1.
a. : to keep hold : hold onto something usually tightly
the truck was bouncing so much we had to hang on to save ourselves from being thrown against the sides
b. : to persist tenaciously in an enterprise : refuse to give up
even at the end of his life he was still hanging on, still seeking justice
2. : to continue to cause suffering : resist getting better in health
a winter cold that seemed to hang on all spring
3.
a. of a sound : to continue to sound
the strains of music hung on for a long time
b. : to continue listening on a telephone : keep a telephone connection open
hang on a minute while I look it up
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- hang on to