verb

hodl

HOD-uhl

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Hodl (verb) means to keep holding a cryptocurrency rather than selling it, particularly while its price is falling. Example: “He has hodled the same coins through three crashes without selling any of them.”

verb

slang To keep holding a cryptocurrency rather than selling it, particularly while its price is falling.

"He has hodled the same coins through three crashes without selling any of them."

"Half the forum was panicking and the other half was telling everyone to hodl."

noun

slang The practice or attitude of holding on to a cryptocurrency for the long term instead of trading it.

"Her whole strategy is hodl; she has not made a trade in two years."

How to use hodl

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishKeeping your crypto instead of selling it.

When to use it

Slang, and deliberately so; the misspelling is the point and correcting it to hodl-with-an-l misses the joke. Common in forums, memes and headlines, out of place in formal financial writing.

Memory tip

A person who does this is a hodler. The word is a verb and a noun but never an adjective.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

hold → diamond hands bagholder

Common pairings

hodl through the dip just hodl a long-term hodl hodl gang

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

Test yourself on “hodl” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

He has _____ the same coins through three crashes without selling any of them.

Etymology

From a misspelling of holding in a 2013 post on the Bitcointalk forum titled I AM HODLING, which was picked up and reused as a term in its own right; it is often backronymed as hold on for dear life, but that reading came afterwards.

Origin: English

Synonyms

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hold keep retain sit tight holding buy and hold

Antonyms

sell dump panic sell

Related words

have can keep power stop believe control book

Frequently asked questions

Does hodl stand for hold on for dear life?

Not originally. It began as a typing error for holding in a 2013 forum post, and the hold on for dear life reading was invented later to fit the letters. Both explanations circulate, but the misspelling came first.

What is the difference between hodl and diamond hands?

Hodl describes the act of not selling. Diamond hands describes the temperament of someone who does not sell under pressure, and is used as a compliment or a boast. The two overlap, but diamond hands is about the person and hodl is about the behaviour.

Is hodl a real word?

It is real in the sense that dictionaries record words people actually use, and this one has been in continuous use since 2013 across forums, journalism and marketing. It remains slang, and its unusual spelling is fixed; hodel and hoddle are not variants.

What is the meaning of hodl?

"hodl" (verb) means to keep holding a cryptocurrency rather than selling it, particularly while its price is falling.

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