hodl
/hɒdl/
Very CommonHold on to a cryptocurrency or investment instead of selling, regardless of price movement.
Backronym 'Hold On for Dear Life' emerged after the fact. The original was just a drunk typo that resonated. Both uses are common now.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Market down 40%. I am just hodling. See you on the other side. | Choosing to hold through a major crash rather than panic selling. | x, 2022 |
| 02 | Been hodling BTC since 2017. Not selling now. | Signaling long-term conviction by mentioning when the position was opened. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | Everyone is selling and I am just here hodling like an idiot. We will see who laughs last. | Staying in a position while others exit, with uncertain but hopeful outlook. | reddit, 2022 |
| 04 | HODL is not a strategy, it is a religion at this point. | Observing that holding has become a belief system rather than a rational decision. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Encouraging others not to sell during a dip.
- Describing your own strategy of holding long-term.
- Reacting to price volatility with deliberate non-action.
Do not use it when
- You are talking about non-crypto assets and the audience won't get the reference.Use “hold” instead.
- You mean someone is passively forgetting to manage their portfolio.
Variations and related forms
HODL vs diamond hands
hodl
HODL is the older term, specific to crypto, and carries a cultural history going back to 2013.
VS
diamond-hands
Diamond hands is newer and crosses into stocks and other assets, originating from r/wallstreetbets.
Origin and context
Started as a typo in a 2013 Bitcoin Talk forum post where a user drunkenly typed 'I AM HODLING' instead of 'holding.' The post went viral within the community and the misspelling became the term. The backronym 'Hold On for Dear Life' was invented later.
- First seen
- 2013
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/hodlUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0