1
as in to postpone
to assign to a later time
held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address
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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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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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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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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
Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2025
The retailer has faced challenges in holding up its in-person business, despite becoming a mainstay of the meme stock frenzy in 2021.
—Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
However, the holdup on congressional action is a lack of input from the White House, which could also opt to act unilaterally to revise existing outbound investment regulations.
—Owen Tedford, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Verb
Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after the Panthers had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.
—Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2025
The retailer has faced challenges in holding up its in-person business, despite becoming a mainstay of the meme stock frenzy in 2021.
—Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Noun
The $14 million was what the judge determined to be the potential loss to developers due to the city’s holdup of the project, including lost profits, inflation, the increasing cost of materials, and interest and utility costs.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
However, the holdup on congressional action is a lack of input from the White House, which could also opt to act unilaterally to revise existing outbound investment regulations.
—Owen Tedford, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
-
Clean up habitat down by the L.A. River Volunteers are needed from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve for Friends of the L.A. River’s habitat restoration day and Earth Month celebration, postponed because of rain last month.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
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Hartford Courant Central opener postponed: Thursday’s games in the NEC tournament in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. were postponed due to rain.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The chase reportedly ended when Buckley wrecked near the intersection of Watts and McAlister streets, an area of mostly forest about 1 1/2 miles southeast of where Buckley was first stopped.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2025
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The former analyst ends up becoming a critical new addition to the gang in their mission to stop the Entity from destroying the world.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Verb
-
Keep clear of puddles - Driving through puddles or low rainwater areas can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2025
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Online shopping has been severely hampered at the retailer due to outages to its website that are expected to last into July.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
Wisdom is what allows critical care physicians like me not just to recite a definition of pneumonia but to sit with a family in crisis and interpret what that pneumonia means for the life of their loved one, who now needs the ventilator to survive.—
Venktesh Ramnath,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2025
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Having thrived on the continent for 15 million years, pigeons couldn’t survive a mere three centuries of the free market.—
Dan Flores,
Time,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Through it all, Cher has remained a woman with an incredibly sharp wit, and zero tolerance for BS.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
-
Women have become relatively better represented in science, but people of color remain glaringly less so.—
Aaron Shattuck,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
Books about fictional weddings fly off the shelves of bookstores, too.—
Lian Dolan,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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Washington left the event shortly after the screening began, having flown to France for the festival on his sole day off, portraying the titular role in Broadway's latest production of Othello.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Nola’s delay Two days ago, Aaron Nola tested his sprained right ankle for the first time since going on the injured list May 16.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
26 May 2025
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Because of the trial delays, her test date fell during the murder trial.—
Amy Lavalley,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
Verb
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The agreement appears to essentially lock in the exemptions in perpetuity, requiring any future Ukrainian legislation to defer and yield to this international treaty.—
Andrew Leahey,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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The city can achieve their highest statutory purpose, boost local jobs and the local economy, and address critical environmental needs — needs that will become more expensive if deferred.—
Jim Peugh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20up. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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