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
held up; holding up; holds up
1
: to rob at gunpoint
3
: to call attention to : single out
his work was held up to ridicule
hold this up as perfection—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
: 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
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 WebAmanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
The holdups have already forced households to make tough decisions.
—Haley Messenger, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
But some holdups involving the state's eServices platform apparently have calmed down by early March.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024
The major holdup on a potential deal is that Trout is due $248 million over the next seven seasons.
—Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
That announcement happened in 2021, but faced delays from legal holdups and investigations, including fraud/insider trading charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
—Brian Cheung, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
The number of banks had not quite doubled between 1944 and 1964, but holdups had soared from 20 in 1945 to 121 in 1963 for the L.A. metro area, according to a Times article.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
According to Booth's letter, the holdup with GM lies in an accounting rule that may penalize the pension fund if too many people retire at once.
—Detroit Free Press, 13 Feb. 2024
Despite the high holdup numbers, L.A. had one of the best apprehension records — with suspects in half of the city’s cases in 1963 arrested, police said at the time.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Teigen included a short video of Esti pretending to paint a portrait while her older sister Luna cheered her on from the sidelines, as well as a shot of Luna proudly holding up a handmade poster about bees and Miles playing baseball.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Over the past two years, LaTurner has been a loyal supporter of Republican leadership, even as a small group of conservative hard-liners have held up significant legislation, ousted a Republican speaker and have threatened to oust a second over his support for foreign aid to Ukraine.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
Now people can scan a QR code on a paper map or a mobile link, hold up their phone to a building, and see what the ghost sign used to look like.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
Throw in batteries, motors, or energy-saving tires that can’t hold up in extremis, and the result is EVs that feel out of their element when they’re driven to the max.
—IEEE Spectrum, 17 Apr. 2024
Much of it simply isn’t holding up, endangering lives and snapping supply chains.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
Egyptian authorities have denied the UN’s offers of assistance to improve import processing, and trucks are also held up on the route from El Arish to Gaza.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
Made by Vivere, the seriously spacious and cozy hammock is made from durable, woven cotton that measures at 63 by 94 inches in size and is designed to hold up to 450 pounds.
—Staff Author, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2024
Noun
If Boeing fails to make on-time deliveries either because of FAA holdups or inability to get regulatory approval, the hit to United will impact its operations, financial position, and cash flows, the company said.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
The holdups have already forced households to make tough decisions.
—Haley Messenger, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
But some holdups involving the state's eServices platform apparently have calmed down by early March.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024
The major holdup on a potential deal is that Trout is due $248 million over the next seven seasons.
—Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
That announcement happened in 2021, but faced delays from legal holdups and investigations, including fraud/insider trading charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
—Brian Cheung, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
The number of banks had not quite doubled between 1944 and 1964, but holdups had soared from 20 in 1945 to 121 in 1963 for the L.A. metro area, according to a Times article.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
According to Booth's letter, the holdup with GM lies in an accounting rule that may penalize the pension fund if too many people retire at once.
—Detroit Free Press, 13 Feb. 2024
Despite the high holdup numbers, L.A. had one of the best apprehension records — with suspects in half of the city’s cases in 1963 arrested, police said at the time.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
This device is also rechargeable and can hold up to 10 hours of playtime.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
Teigen included a short video of Esti pretending to paint a portrait while her older sister Luna cheered her on from the sidelines, as well as a shot of Luna proudly holding up a handmade poster about bees and Miles playing baseball.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Over the past two years, LaTurner has been a loyal supporter of Republican leadership, even as a small group of conservative hard-liners have held up significant legislation, ousted a Republican speaker and have threatened to oust a second over his support for foreign aid to Ukraine.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
Now people can scan a QR code on a paper map or a mobile link, hold up their phone to a building, and see what the ghost sign used to look like.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
Throw in batteries, motors, or energy-saving tires that can’t hold up in extremis, and the result is EVs that feel out of their element when they’re driven to the max.
—IEEE Spectrum, 17 Apr. 2024
Much of it simply isn’t holding up, endangering lives and snapping supply chains.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
Egyptian authorities have denied the UN’s offers of assistance to improve import processing, and trucks are also held up on the route from El Arish to Gaza.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
Made by Vivere, the seriously spacious and cozy hammock is made from durable, woven cotton that measures at 63 by 94 inches in size and is designed to hold up to 450 pounds.
—Staff Author, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'holdup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near holdup
Cite this Entry
“Holdup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holdup. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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