follow vs hold on

follow and hold on both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
follow	No	No	Yes	No
hold on	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, hold on is a hypernym of follow; that is, hold on is a word with a broader meaning than follow:

Other hypernyms of follow include hang in, hang on, persevere, persist.

follow (verb)	hold on (verb)
behave in accordance or in agreement with	be persistent, refuse to stop
keep informed	stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments
keep to	hold the phone line open
follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something	hold firmly
grasp the meaning	retain possession of
imitate in behavior; take as a model
perform an accompaniment to
to travel behind, go after, come after
travel along a certain course
follow in or as if in pursuit
keep under surveillance
choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans
to subscribe to someone's updates on social media
to be subscribed to updates from another user on social media
act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
be the successor (of)
follow with the eyes or the mind
work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function
accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of
adhere to or practice
be later in time
come after in time, as a result
be next
to bring something about at a later time than
to be the product or result
come as a logical consequence; follow logically