# hold the phone

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/hold-the-phone
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

stop; wait; whoa.

## Examples

- Hold the phone — did you say free tickets?
- She was about to sign the contract when her lawyer said, "Hold the phone, there's a hidden clause."
- Hold the phone, he thought, staring at the photograph: the man in the background was supposed to have died twenty years ago.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.