holdover

1 of 2

noun

hold·​over ˈhōld-ˌō-vər 

: one that is held over

hold over

2 of 2

verb

held over; holding over; holds over

intransitive verb

: to continue (as in office) for a prolonged period

transitive verb

1

a

: postpone, defer

b

: to retain in a condition or position from an earlier period

2

: to prolong the engagement of

the film was held over another week

Synonyms

Verb

• defer
• delay
• hold off (on)
• hold up
• lay over
• postpone
• put off
• put over
• remit
• shelve

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

Noun

Mitch McConnell, in the Senate, and the former Speakers Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan were all holdovers from previous incarnations of the G.O.P. —David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024

Peacock's ruling found that Wolfe is lawfully holding over in her position, the elections commission did not vote to appoint Wolfe to a new term and has no duty to appoint a replacement, and the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization has no power to appoint a replacement for a lawful holdover. —Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1893, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1647, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

hold over

verb

: to continue beyond a normal or planned time

the movie was held over for three weeks

holdover

ˈhōl-ˌdō-vər

noun

Legal 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

holdover noun