held over; holding over; holds over
: to continue (as in office) for a prolonged period
2
: to prolong the engagement of
the film was held over another week
Examples of holdover in a Sentence
Noun
He is the only holdover from their last championship team.
This policy is a holdover from the previous administration.
Verb
the golf tournament had to be held over until the line of thunderstorms had passed through
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Nick Bosa is one of the holdovers for a 49ers defense that looks somewhat different this season, especially up front.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
The Kipona Festival is an annual, three-day event held over Labor Day weekend that celebrates the region's Native American heritage.
—Charlotte Slovin, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holdover
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Noun
Transfers and impact freshmen soaked up most of the offseason conversation about the Big Ten quarterbacks, but after two weeks of action, the league’s holdovers have far outperformed the newcomers.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Nick Bosa is one of the holdovers for a 49ers defense that looks somewhat different this season, especially up front.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
The case, which the Court has held over for its new term, poses the question of whether creating majority-minority districts may be unconstitutional because the district lines are drawn primarily on the basis of race.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
The Kipona Festival is an annual, three-day event held over Labor Day weekend that celebrates the region's Native American heritage.
—Charlotte Slovin, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holdover
Cite this Entry
“Holdover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holdover. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
hold over
intransitive verb
: to remain in a position or condition
one who holds over in possession of a building after the expiration of a term of years—B. N. Cardozo
B. N. Cardozo
holdover
noun
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