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
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 Web
Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
Another potential holdup in an A’s-to-KC transition: The Kansas City Blues had been the Yankees’ top farm team.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
Some of us have the ability to go outside and hold up a sign, and some of us are not able to.
—Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holdup
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Teacher evaluations, one of the last holdups in negotiations, will be adjusted to a three-year cycle for tenured teachers who have been with the district for over 19 years.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
Another potential holdup in an A’s-to-KC transition: The Kansas City Blues had been the Yankees’ top farm team.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
There’s a bit of a balancing act that goes on here; the wine should have enough acidity and freshness to hold up to tomato sauce in addition to medium to strong tannins that will cut through fatty cheese.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
Some of us have the ability to go outside and hold up a sign, and some of us are not able to.
—Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holdup
Cite this Entry
“Holdup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holdup. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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