Meaning & use
hold fast
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To keep a firm physical grip on something and not let go.
Grammar: No direct object; often followed by to: hold fast to the rope.
Patterns
- hold fast to something
- hold fast
The sailors held fast to the rail as the wave hit.
Hold fast until the helicopter is directly above you.
The child held fast to her father's hand in the crowd.
verbintransitivefigurative
To stay loyal to a belief, plan or principle even when it is difficult or under pressure.
Grammar: No object; to introduces the belief: hold fast to your principles.
Patterns
- hold fast to something
- hold fast to what you believe
The committee held fast to its original decision despite the protests.
She held fast to her principles when others urged her to compromise.
Villagers held fast to their traditions through decades of change.
Word forms
| third person singular | holds fast |
|---|---|
| past tense | held fast |
| past participle | held fast |
| -ing form | holding fast |
Common combinations
- hold fast to your beliefs
- Hold fast to your beliefs even when they are unpopular.
- hold fast to tradition
- The family held fast to tradition at every holiday.
- hold fast to the rope
- Hold fast to the rope and do not look down.
- hold fast to a promise
- He held fast to his promise to return.
- hold fast against
- The town held fast against the rising flood.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cling
- Cling suggests desperate or emotional holding on, while hold fast sounds calmer and more determined.
- stand firm
- Stand firm focuses on refusing to give way in a dispute, whereas hold fast can also describe a physical grip.
- stick to
- Stick to is the everyday, informal choice for keeping to a plan, while hold fast is more formal and dramatic.
- persevere
- Persevere is about continuing despite difficulty, whereas hold fast emphasizes not letting go of a specific belief or object.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hold fast or hold on?
hold fast vs hold on
Hold on usually means wait or keep gripping for a short time, while hold fast suggests a firm, lasting commitment.
Practice
Despite the pressure, she ___ to her decision and refused to change it.
Choose one answer.
Held fast to something means stayed loyal to it. Held out to is not idiomatic here, and held up and held back have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hold fast”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.