1
as in to postpone
to assign to a later time
held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to bring (something) to a standstill
traffic was held up for miles by the accident
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to hamper
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
if lack of transportation is the only thing holding you up, I can give you a ride
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to survive
to continue to operate or to meet one's needs
the air conditioner held up this year, but it's not going to make it through another summer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to remain
to remain indefinitely in existence or in the same state
the storm's hurricane-force winds did not hold up once it hit the coast
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to fly
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
an argument that won't hold up in court
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as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
a holdup in construction due to the weather
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hold up
Ryan Browne, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025
Anula would walk the palace halls, too, if this man had actually held up his end of their bargain.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2024
However, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under pressure to get most of Trump’s nominees ready for a vote by the time he is sworn in or shortly thereafter, various holdups could get in the way of that time frame.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Verb
The firm also said that GDPR — the EU’s data privacy framework introduced in 2018 — held up the launch of its glasses in EU countries due to issues surrounding Meta’s use of Instagram and Facebook user data to train its AI models.
—Ryan Browne, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025
Anula would walk the palace halls, too, if this man had actually held up his end of their bargain.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
The arrival of Lana itself was delayed by a few hours, for which Punch claimed responsibility without sharing any specific details about what caused the holdup.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2024
However, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under pressure to get most of Trump’s nominees ready for a vote by the time he is sworn in or shortly thereafter, various holdups could get in the way of that time frame.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
-
The concert was previously postponed in October when the singer was diagnosed with bronchitis and laryngitis.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Fieldwork was regularly being reduced in scope or postponed, sometimes for years.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The Windsor Police Department said in a social media post that one of its deputies stopped a vehicle with two passengers in the 700 block of Shiloh Road at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.—
Suhauna Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Don’t stop the agreement that has already brought dozens of hostages back to us.—
Ibrahim Dahman,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Limiting the federal funding would hamper Medicaid's ability to help states during difficult economic times, when demand for coverage rises with falling employment and incomes, while states also have fewer tax dollars to spend.—
Phil Galewitz,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacramento Bee,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Millie’s share of cost was calculated to leave her no more than the federal government thinks a single person needs to survive: $600 per month.—
Danilyn Rutherford,
TIME,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Bauer was lucky to survive six terrifying months in the concentration camps, where he was repeatedly beaten.—
Gary J. Bass,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Police recovered a knife sheath from under Mogen's remains with DNA on the snap.—
Michael Ruiz,
Fox News,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Surrounded by unpredictability and hardship, one certainty remains for Herzallah: that if help is given, Palestinians can rebuild.—
Camilla Alcini,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Jack then tells Portia to not return to the White Lotus and wait for Tanya and to go to the airport and fly home instead.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
25 Feb. 2025
-
The birds fly around the light, unable to extricate themselves.—
Anelise Chen,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
During red-eye flights, four-hour delays, freezing plane cabins, or those moments when the plane gets stuffy, these pants have never let me down in any temperature or circumstance.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Mar. 2025
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The loss of institutional knowledge and potential disruption to services such as delays in veterans’ benefits or Social Security processing could undermine public trust in government efficiency.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Senate’s two-bill strategy also defers tough decisions on which taxes to cut.—
Catie Edmondson,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
-
These policies deferred Europe’s full emergence from its post-1945 rehabilitation.—
Dominic Green,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20up. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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