holdover

1 of 2

noun

hold·​over ˈhōld-ˌō-vər 

: one that is held over

hold over

2 of 2

verb

held over; holding over; holds over

intransitive verb

: to continue (as in office) for a prolonged period

transitive verb

1

a

: postpone, defer

b

: to retain in a condition or position from an earlier period

2

: to prolong the engagement of

the film was held over another week

Synonyms of holdover

Verb

• postpone
• delay
• defer
• put over

Examples of holdover in a Sentence

Noun

He is the only holdover from their last championship team.

This policy is a holdover from the previous administration.

Verb

the golf tournament had to be held over until the line of thunderstorms had passed through

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Five of those teams came from the Mountain West, joining the Sun Belt’s Texas State and Pac-12 holdovers Oregon State and Washington State. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026

Redshirt junior Justin Royes and redshirt junior Laparka Langston are also holdovers from last season. —Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026

Verb

Edwards Lifesciences was upgraded to buy from hold over at Wolfe Research. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Apr. 2026

Valencia was arrested on Friday, March 20 and held over the weekend before being released on March 23. —Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1893, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1647, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for holdover

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover
• pullover

Kids Definition

hold over

verb

: to continue beyond a normal or planned time

the movie was held over for three weeks

holdover

ˈhōl-ˌdō-vər

noun

Legal Definition

hold over

intransitive verb

: to remain in a position or condition

one who holds over in possession of a building after the expiration of a term of years

—B. N. Cardozo

holdover noun