A term that stands for ‘Hold on for dear life’, HODL means to hold onto an investment for a relatively longer period of time, even when the market dips. Typically, those in the cryptocurrency space use the term HODL when things aren’t going well with a project. However, it is also used as a way to convey to other traders that they should continue holding onto their investment during a bull market instead of taking their profits right away.
The term was first coined in 2013 in a Bitcoin forum where user Gamekyuubi stated “I AM HODLING.” It’s assumed this was a spelling error and they meant to say ‘holding’ instead. The term HODL was then adapted from this post and became the acronym for ‘Holding on for dear life’.
