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
Synonyms
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
John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Ihnen, who missed the two previous seasons with knee injuries, was the last holdover player from former coach Richard Pitino’s era.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2024
Ellis explained why the Wave can outdraw the other 11 holdover teams plus expansion clubs in San Jose and Salt Lake City across a 13-game home schedule that runs through early November.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024
The only holdover from the previous board was the one who had the least experience, having only served since February.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Striking gold with Erick Fedde and other new-in-camp arms — Dylan Cease and Kopech could be the only holdover starters in a starting rotation that will be the focus of Brian Bannister, another Kansas City import hired as director of pitching.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Miller is the only holdover from last year’s season-ending rotation.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024
Candidates must appear on 75% of ballots to earn induction this July 21 in Cooperstown, New York; voters may vote for no more than 10 candidates on the 26-player ballot (14 holdovers and 12 first-timers).
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Huntley-Hatfield, one of just four holdovers from last season's U of L roster, was ranked No. 26 nationally in the Class of 2021, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
—The Courier-Journal, 17 Jan. 2024
Jem Aswad, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
Their skin expands, allowing some of them to hold over 1,000 gallons at a time.
—Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
Unsuccessful votes were held over the years at some other nonunion plants as well, but many of the organizing efforts have never reached the point in which the union has filed for a vote.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024
The meeting is held over Zoom and open to the public.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
The party nominated these candidates at its annual convention held over the weekend in Fishers.
Donald Rainwater on the issues:Indiana governor candidate Q&A
The governor's race
For the second time, Donald Rainwater, a software engineer and Navy veteran from Johnson County, will run for governor.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Apple’s competitors Disney and Amazon have their own deals with other leagues — Amazon has exclusive rights to broadcast the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games, while Peacock has golf (thanks to its parent company NBC’s hold over golf telecasts).
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
Hamas is still holding over 130 hostages, but around 30 of them are believed to be dead, with the vast majority killed on Oct. 7.
—Matthew Lee, arkansasonline.com, 8 Feb. 2024
Retirement savings are meant to be held over the long term and typically reward the patient; the S&P 500 has risen 172% over the last decade, despite many short-term swings.
—Brian Cheung, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024
Noun
The compromise law included a holdover provision from the original with an odd exemption for eateries that bake bread on site.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Ihnen, who missed the two previous seasons with knee injuries, was the last holdover player from former coach Richard Pitino’s era.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2024
Ellis explained why the Wave can outdraw the other 11 holdover teams plus expansion clubs in San Jose and Salt Lake City across a 13-game home schedule that runs through early November.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024
The only holdover from the previous board was the one who had the least experience, having only served since February.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Striking gold with Erick Fedde and other new-in-camp arms — Dylan Cease and Kopech could be the only holdover starters in a starting rotation that will be the focus of Brian Bannister, another Kansas City import hired as director of pitching.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Miller is the only holdover from last year’s season-ending rotation.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024
Candidates must appear on 75% of ballots to earn induction this July 21 in Cooperstown, New York; voters may vote for no more than 10 candidates on the 26-player ballot (14 holdovers and 12 first-timers).
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Huntley-Hatfield, one of just four holdovers from last season's U of L roster, was ranked No. 26 nationally in the Class of 2021, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
—The Courier-Journal, 17 Jan. 2024
Verb
The shows will be held over Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26; Labor Day weekend on Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1; and Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
Their skin expands, allowing some of them to hold over 1,000 gallons at a time.
—Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024
Unsuccessful votes were held over the years at some other nonunion plants as well, but many of the organizing efforts have never reached the point in which the union has filed for a vote.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024
The meeting is held over Zoom and open to the public.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
The party nominated these candidates at its annual convention held over the weekend in Fishers.
Donald Rainwater on the issues:Indiana governor candidate Q&A
The governor's race
For the second time, Donald Rainwater, a software engineer and Navy veteran from Johnson County, will run for governor.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Apple’s competitors Disney and Amazon have their own deals with other leagues — Amazon has exclusive rights to broadcast the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games, while Peacock has golf (thanks to its parent company NBC’s hold over golf telecasts).
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
Hamas is still holding over 130 hostages, but around 30 of them are believed to be dead, with the vast majority killed on Oct. 7.
—Matthew Lee, arkansasonline.com, 8 Feb. 2024
Retirement savings are meant to be held over the long term and typically reward the patient; the S&P 500 has risen 172% over the last decade, despite many short-term swings.
—Brian Cheung, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'holdover.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1893, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1647, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near holdover
Cite this Entry
“Holdover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holdover. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
hold over
verb
: to continue beyond a normal or planned time
the movie was held over for three weeks
holdover
noun
ˈhōl-ˌdō-vər
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
B. N. Cardozo
holdover
noun
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