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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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
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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
Ryan Browne, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025
Anula would walk the palace halls, too, if this man had actually held up his end of their bargain.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2024
However, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under pressure to get most of Trump’s nominees ready for a vote by the time he is sworn in or shortly thereafter, various holdups could get in the way of that time frame.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Verb
The firm also said that GDPR — the EU’s data privacy framework introduced in 2018 — held up the launch of its glasses in EU countries due to issues surrounding Meta’s use of Instagram and Facebook user data to train its AI models.
—Ryan Browne, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025
Anula would walk the palace halls, too, if this man had actually held up his end of their bargain.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
The arrival of Lana itself was delayed by a few hours, for which Punch claimed responsibility without sharing any specific details about what caused the holdup.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2024
However, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under pressure to get most of Trump’s nominees ready for a vote by the time he is sworn in or shortly thereafter, various holdups could get in the way of that time frame.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
-
The concert was previously postponed in October when the singer was diagnosed with bronchitis and laryngitis.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Fieldwork was regularly being reduced in scope or postponed, sometimes for years.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Outside of suicide, the only way for a terminally ill person in Ohio to hasten their own death is to refuse life-prolonging treatments or to stop eating and drinking.—
Tim Botos,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2025
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The wave of protests comes at a critical moment as fractured Democrats struggle to stop the Republican president’s purge of the federal bureaucracy, which features thousands of layoffs inside departments focused on public health, education, veterans affairs and human services, among others.—
Steve Peoples,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Limiting the federal funding would hamper Medicaid's ability to help states during difficult economic times, when demand for coverage rises with falling employment and incomes, while states also have fewer tax dollars to spend.—
Phil Galewitz,
NPR,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacramento Bee,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Millie’s share of cost was calculated to leave her no more than the federal government thinks a single person needs to survive: $600 per month.—
Danilyn Rutherford,
TIME,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Bauer was lucky to survive six terrifying months in the concentration camps, where he was repeatedly beaten.—
Gary J. Bass,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Still, one thing remained constant: Taylor’s dedication towards a quality hair primer to create the perfect canvas for building and maintaining any look.—
Pooja Shah,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Police recovered a knife sheath from under Mogen's remains with DNA on the snap.—
Michael Ruiz,
Fox News,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Jack then tells Portia to not return to the White Lotus and wait for Tanya and to go to the airport and fly home instead.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
25 Feb. 2025
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Its feathers confirmed its ability to fly, albeit not with the grace of modern birds.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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On Monday, the airport saw nearly 400 cancellations and 375 delays.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
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The delay affects reservations from June 15 to July 14.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The Senate’s two-bill strategy also defers tough decisions on which taxes to cut.—
Catie Edmondson,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
-
These policies deferred Europe’s full emergence from its post-1945 rehabilitation.—
Dominic Green,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20up. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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