holdup

1 of 2

noun

hold·​up ˈhōld-ˌəp 

variants or hold-up

plural holdups or hold-ups

1

: delay

There was a holdup with my order.

What's the holdup? [=what is the reason for the delay?]

2

: a robbery carried out at gunpoint

hold up

2 of 2

verb

held up; holding up; holds up

transitive verb

1

: to rob at gunpoint

2

: delay, impede

3

: to call attention to : single out

his work was held up to ridicule

hold this up as perfection

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

intransitive verb

: to continue in the same condition without failing or losing effectiveness or force

she's holding up under the strain

music that holds up twenty years later

Synonyms

Noun

• delay
• detainment
• detention
• holdback
• holding pattern
• wait

Verb

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

Examples of holdup in a Sentence

Noun

There have been a series of holdups at local banks.

a holdup in construction due to the weather

Verb

held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address

traffic was held up for miles by the accident

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Teacher evaluations, one of the last holdups in negotiations, will be adjusted to a three-year cycle for tenured teachers who have been with the district for over 19 years. —Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025

Another potential holdup in an A’s-to-KC transition: The Kansas City Blues had been the Yankees’ top farm team. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025

Verb

There’s a bit of a balancing act that goes on here; the wine should have enough acidity and freshness to hold up to tomato sauce in addition to medium to strong tannins that will cut through fatty cheese. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025

Some of us have the ability to go outside and hold up a sign, and some of us are not able to. —Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 9 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1851, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for holdup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup
• pickup

Kids Definition

holdup

1 of 2 noun

hold·​up

1

: a robbery at gunpoint

2

: delay entry 1 sense 1

hold up

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)hōl-ˈdəp

1

: delay entry 2 sense 2, impede

2

: to rob at gunpoint

3

: to continue without failing or losing effectiveness

holding up under the stress

music that holds up twenty years later

Legal Definition

holdup

1 of 2 noun

hold·​up

: an attempted or completed robbery carried out with the use of force and especially at gunpoint

hold up

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to make the victim of a holdup : rob at gunpoint