holds up

present tense third-person singular of hold up
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as in flies
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval an argument that won't hold up in court

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holds up
Verb
  • The woman in question was identified as Renee Brown, a 36-year-old single mom who works two jobs, loves her kid, and never stops, à la Reba McEntire.
    Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 8 Jan. 2025
  • The rule does not get rid of the debt itself, but stops it from having an impact on a consumer’s credit worthiness.
    Joseph Choi, The Hill, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Drew’s captures all of it in this love letter to a format that unexplicably survives, if only as a memory or souvenir.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Mikaela and Kieran escape and blow the place sky high … but Desmond survives.
    Sean T. Collins, New York Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Despite this change, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner remains confident.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Despite this, the number of animals in shelters remains high—in the first half of 2024, 322,000 more pets entered shelters than exited them.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halts the execution of death row inmate David Leonard Wood.
    Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halts the execution of death row inmate David Leonard Wood.
    Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Let go of whatever impedes your progress and growth.
    Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 2 Mar. 2025
  • However, any individual who impedes law enforcement operations, potentially threatening the safety of law enforcement agents and subjects of their investigations, is subject to investigation and potential prosecution by the Department of Justice.
    Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • That’s the kind of leadership that lasts.
    Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Build your community advantage starting now Community is the competitive advantage that lasts.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The Powerball lottery jackpot continues to grow after no one matched all six numbers from Saturday night's drawing.
    Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Dec. 2024
  • The team’s work continues to show the great diversity of shapes and sizes of creatures of the deep.
    Danielle Hall, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Sampson, now in his 36th season as a head coach, will surely take some time if Houston prevails during his third trip to the Final Four, including his second with the Cougars who also made it in 2021.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Other conservative states have also moved to cut Planned Parenthood out of the Medicaid program, and more would likely follow if South Carolina prevails.
    Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Holds up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holds%20up. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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