holder

noun

hold·​er ˈhōl-dər 

1

: a person that holds: such as

a(1)

: owner

(2)

: tenant

b

: a person in possession of and legally entitled to receive payment of a bill, note, or check

2

: a device that holds

a cigarette holder

Synonyms

• owner
• proprietor

Examples of holder in a Sentence

She is the holder of an honorary degree.

the holder of a world record

Recent Examples on the Web

Lined up for a 27-yard field goal attempt midway through the fourth, holder Oscar Doyle bobbled the snap, forcing kicker Colton Boomer — who earlier boomed a 50-yard FG — to stop in his tracks. —Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 12 Oct. 2025

Luckily, lots of matcha cups also come with a whisk holder, which discourages bacteria formation—like this handmade set that will easily fit in with your robust collection of Italian splatterware. —Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025

The argument that crypto has no fundamental value is based on the view that other assets—stocks, bonds, cash, property, or derivatives thereof—usually entitle holders to an underlying right, such as dividends, interest, land, or other legal rights. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025

But on Tuesday, when FIFA Collect administrators revealed that only Category 1 and 2 tickets — the most expensive tickets, and therefore the least coveted in FIFA’s first sales phase — would be available to the vast majority of RTB holders, some of the holders fumed. —Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing holder

• co-holder
• holder in due course
• pot holder
• record holder
• slave holder

Rhymes for holder

• bolder
• bowlder
• colder
• folder
• golder
• molder
• moulder
• older
• polder
• shoulder
• beholder
• bondholder

Kids Definition

holder

noun

hold·​er ˈhōl-dər 

1

: a person that holds

especially : a legal owner

2

: a device that holds

Legal Definition

holder

noun

hold·​er

1

: a person that holds: as

a

: owner

the holder of a patent

—often used in combination

a stockholder

b

: one that holds or occupies the property of another by agreement and especially under a lease

2

a

: a person who under the Uniform Commercial Code is in possession of a negotiable instrument that names and is made payable to the possessor or that is payable to bearer

b

: a person under the Uniform Commercial Code in possession of goods named in a document of title if the goods are deliverable to bearer or to the order of the possessor

3

in the civil law of Louisiana : an individual (as a trustee or debtor) or legal or commercial entity that under the Civil Code's provisions for disposition of unclaimed property is in possession of property belonging to another