hold onto
InseparableThe verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: hold ONTO. Saying “HOLD onto” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Link across the gap. The final /d/ of “hold” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “hold onto” is said “hol-donto”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.
What it means
To keep possession of something.
- “Hold onto that receipt — you may need it.”
- “She held onto the house through the whole recession.”
Similar: keep, retain