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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
a holdup in construction due to the weather
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
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
-
But on Wednesday, April 16, ticket holders received a message that the event was postponed.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The daytime setting undermined their gimmicks, and Wyatt's early ankle injury hampered his performance, leading to a slow, unengaging match that failed to live up to the intriguing potential of the pairing.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
And seriously, shouldn't surviving that nightmare initial Vula tribe designation be worth a cool million bucks?—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The attorneys also debated what cell phone activity from Mortensen and the other surviving roommate, Bethany Funke, in the hours around the murders should come in at trial.—
Jean Casarez,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
In the show, Joel flies in like a bat out of hell and violently knocks Seth to the ground before telling him to get the hell out.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This is critical because Samsung was falling behind in security updates just as the Android world obsesses about its delays on Android OS upgrades as well.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
After over two hours of rain delay and a full postponement on Saturday, the Red Sox and Cardinals decided to maximize their time together.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share