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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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
Luke Smith, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Though my phone was three years old, until January of this year, the battery still held up for all-day usage.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2025
Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Small mistakes, such as errors in Social Security numbers, income information, or deductions, can prompt the IRS to conduct a review, resulting in processing holdups.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Verb
The potential tire degradation advantage that Hamilton teased in the sprint never shone through as the hard compound held up better than anyone expected, making a one-stop race possible.
—Luke Smith, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Though my phone was three years old, until January of this year, the battery still held up for all-day usage.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
Outside, an irritated Duke asks Reacher what the holdup was.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Small mistakes, such as errors in Social Security numbers, income information, or deductions, can prompt the IRS to conduct a review, resulting in processing holdups.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
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But on Wednesday, April 16, ticket holders received a message that the event was postponed.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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This reflects the trend of more Americans either opting not to have kids or postponing them until later.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The confrontation stopped and restarted as the man appeared to try to get the knife away from Perez over the fence.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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When the American money stopped flowing, the local soup kitchen closed and Ms. Musa went out searching for food.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Aly Song | Reuters Trump's tariffs on China are already hampering Christmas sales.—
Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Jeff Cox,Christina Wilkie,Erin Doherty,Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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The deep budget cuts at HHS have also hampered the nation’s disease-detection capacity and pandemic preparedness with respect to pathogens such as bird flu, according to experts.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And seriously, shouldn't surviving that nightmare initial Vula tribe designation be worth a cool million bucks?—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Thus, only a few AI startups that achieve significant breakthroughs, such as closing the gap between advertised and actual capabilities and enhancing commercial viability, are likely to survive and justify their valuations, while the majority perish.—
Tomas Milar,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Then there’s the question of what the crushing water pressure at that depth would have on any bodies that remained on the wreck of the Titanic.—
Greg Daugherty,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Apr. 2025
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A lot of the clubs from that time were gone—Finbar’s, Hunt’s, Memorial Auditorium, where the band once opened for Allen Ginsberg—but the scrappy apartments mostly remained.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Since Trump came to office on Jan. 20, his administration has flown more than 200 people from the U.S. to El Salvador to be imprisoned in CECOT.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
14 Apr. 2025
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Six women will fly to space on the Blue Origin Rocket: former television anchor and fiancée of Jeff Bezos Lauren Sánchez, CBS journalist Gayle King, singer Katy Perry, civil rights activist and scientist Amanda Nguyen, movie producer Kerianna Flynn, and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Under cost-cutting orders from the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, purchasing cards had been frozen, requiring approvals for all but emergency expenses, which sometimes meant lengthy delays.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Following an initial delay, Nintendo has set the preorder date for its Switch 2 console for April 24.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the carrier will defer deliveries of new aircraft if they are hit with tariffs.—
Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Jeff Cox,Christina Wilkie,Erin Doherty,Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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Beyond the Status Quo: Rebuilding Strategic Autonomy For decades, both major political parties have deferred substantive structural reform.—
Joel Shulman,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20up. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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