Put Something on Hold

Welcome to English in a Minute!

This is a very common idiom, one you hear often in American English:

PUT SOMETHING ON HOLD

Let’s listen.

Hey! How is your new job search going?

Have you decided where you want to move?

No, I have decided to put my search on hold.

I decided I had better finish getting my Master’s degree at the university before I start looking for a new job.

If you put something on hold, it means you are not going to do it right away.

You are going to wait before you act.

You might also hear someone say this to you on the phone:

Let me put you on hold.

Hello. Please hold.

This means:

“Wait, I will get back to you soon.”

Also, you can put something on hold at a store, and they will keep it for you until you come back to but it.

And that’s English in a Minute!