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

Verb

• defer
• delay
• hold off (on)
• hold up
• lay over
• postpone
• put off
• put over
• remit
• shelve

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

But in the cacophony of a campaign in its final week, the tempest over endorsements felt like a holdover from a passing era of mass media consumption. —Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2024

The electric opening weekend kicks off the fall movie season with a bang after a sleepy Labor Day weekend and a relatively slow August that saw newer films struggle as holdover movies ruled the box office. —Kaitlyn Huamani, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2024

Verb

With the capacity to hold over 1,000 songs, the Mighty 3 harkens back to the days of the iPod Shuffle, allowing your child to scroll through a vast music playlist on a screen-free, pocket-sized device that can clip to their clothes or bag. —Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 2 Nov. 2024

California reports a stable lion population today that hs held over the last five decades without any trophy hunting of the big cats. —Thomas Pool, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1893, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1647, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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