HODL

What does HODL stand for?

Hold on for dear life

HODL is a cryptocurrency philosophy where buyers keep their bitcoin or another cryptocurrency for the long haul instead of finding the perfect time to cash out. In this context, the buyers "hold on for dear life."

Where does HODL come from?

HODL originates from a misspelling of "hold" by user "GameKyuubi" in a Bitcoin forum on December 18, 2013. The user appears to be drunk as he explains why he's choosing to hold on to his Bitcoin instead of selling at perceived market highs.

This was when he misspelled "hold" as "hodl" and the user community adopted it as an acronym and plastered it on memes. As the memes spread, hodl became the label for buyers choosing to hold on to their cryptocurrencies through the rollercoaster of cryptocurrency evaluations.

Who uses HODL?

You will most likely see HODL, or hodl, referenced online in financial articles related to cryptocurrencies or on financial forums. You will probably also hear your "trendy" or money-savvy friend or uncle blabber on about the HODL strategy, as well.

Bigwig financial players like Elon Musk have used the term, as well. Musk tweeted about selling an NFT of his song about NFTs on Twitter. The video accompanying his tweet included a trophy with "HODL" engraved on it.

When do people use HODL?

People primarily use HODL to refer to the strategy of holding on to cryptocurrency for the long haul. However, other users may substitute "hodl" for "hold" when talking about cryptocurrencies, in general.

Example

No matter what happens to Bitcoin, HODL and carry on!
If you aren't a savvy cryptocurrency trader, just HODL
If you aren't a savvy cryptocurrency trader, just HODL

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Updated March 22, 2021

HODL definition by Slang.net

This page explains what the acronym "HODL" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.

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