HODL
v.v. to hold onto a financial asset, such as cryptocurrency, even when the price drops. It comes from a misspelling of the word 'hold' and is used by people who believe the value will increase later.
v. to retain ownership of a financial asset, particularly cryptocurrency, despite market volatility. Originates from a deliberate misspelling of 'hold' and is used to signal a long-term investment strategy.
Many investors choose to HODL their coins during a market crash.
Despite the sudden drop in market value, the community encouraged everyone to HODL rather than sell at a loss.
The ethos of the movement is to HODL through extreme fluctuations, viewing short-term price corrections as irrelevant to the asset's long-term potential.
From a misspelt "hold" in a 2013 Bitcoin forum post titled "I AM HODLING". The typo stuck and was later backronymed to "Hold On for Dear Life".
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated July 19, 2026