Hodl Meaning

By Kraken Learn team
3 min
15 gru 2022
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What does HODL mean?

Hodl: verb (used with cryptocurrency), hodl·ing.

  1. Holding bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies; refusing to sell; remaining unaffected by swings in price.
  2. Rallying call: To have or keep the bitcoin mission in focus; keep fast; stay strong; stay true:
     

Investors with "diamond hands" implies they are hodling bitcoin or other cryptocurrency until the price goes "to the moon."
Synonyms: hold, held, holding, holds

Hodling is the act of purchasing bitcoin, or any other cryptocurrency, holding it and refusing to sell it while attempting to remain unaffected by swings in price. 

Fittingly, HODL is sometimes described as an acronym for “hold on for dear life.” While this is not how the term originated, this explanation does a good job of capturing the essence of the phrase’s meaning.

HODL Day: The official hodl holiday

 

December 18 is HODL Day

HODL Day is the official celebration of HODL, as an ode to the date of GameKyuubi’s bitcointalk post on December 18.

 

Thanks to GameKyuubi, hodlers around the world who lack technical skills for short-term trades gather to celebrate his message and trading strategy on December 18 for HODL Day.

HODL Day illustration

The history of hodling

The actual term, “HODL,” originated from a bitcointalk post by GameKyuubi

If you’re unfamiliar, Bitcointalk is a forum launched by bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto intended to discuss bitcoin and field questions about the project. It has since been a gathering place for the crypto community, and was the site of many significant developments both culturally and technically for the industry.   

On the evening of December 18, 2013, GameKyuubi famously went on a drunken, self-deprecating rant, admitting that he was a bad trader and was going to hold on to his bitcoin rather than attempting to predict its price action. 

In his post GameKyuubi is also aware that he misspelled “hold” but was too drunk and/or upset to change it. 

Ever since his post, many investors have come out in favor of more conservative approaches to investing, such as dollar cost averaging, as a way to mitigate bitcoin’s short term volatility.

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Useful hodl resources

Looking to learn about more crypto slang? Head on over to Kraken’s Crypto 101 videos located in the Learn Center

If you are interested in learning more about the different cryptocurrencies, you can visit Kraken’s Crypto Guides page.