Holding

Flying a defined racetrack pattern around a fix (a beacon or waypoint) to wait, for example for traffic sequencing or until the weather improves. A standard hold has right-hand turns and one-minute legs at or below FL140.

ATC gives the fix, the inbound track and an expected time for onward clearance, e.g. “hold at KOPAG, inbound track 090, expect further clearance 1420”. You join it with a direct, parallel or teardrop entry.