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
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
The White House pushed back against that characterization and argued the administration only aims to fix the years of politically motivated enforcement that occurred under Democrats and their holdovers.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
Omar Kelly
october 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The Hoosiers had just scored and led the Buckeyes 7-6 – the first lead Indiana held over Ohio State in a quarter century.
—Dana O'Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holdover
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Noun
As of Friday afternoon, the only holdovers from last year’s staff appear to be assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard, first-base coach Mark Hallberg, catching coach Alex Burg and major league quality control coach Taira Uematsu.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
The White House pushed back against that characterization and argued the administration only aims to fix the years of politically motivated enforcement that occurred under Democrats and their holdovers.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
During those 18 years there have been coaches, executives, scouts and players held over.
—Omar Kelly
october 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The Hoosiers had just scored and led the Buckeyes 7-6 – the first lead Indiana held over Ohio State in a quarter century.
—Dana O'Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 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 10 Nov. 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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