holdup

1 of 2

noun

hold·​up ˈhōld-ˌəp 

variants or hold-up

plural holdups or hold-ups

1

: delay

There was a holdup with my order.

What's the holdup? [=what is the reason for the delay?]

2

: a robbery carried out at gunpoint

hold up

2 of 2

verb

held up; holding up; holds up

transitive verb

1

: to rob at gunpoint

2

: delay, impede

3

: to call attention to : single out

his work was held up to ridicule

hold this up as perfection

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

intransitive verb

: to continue in the same condition without failing or losing effectiveness or force

she's holding up under the strain

music that holds up twenty years later

Synonyms of holdup

Noun

• delay
• wait

Verb

• postpone
• delay
• defer
• put over

Examples of holdup in a Sentence

Noun

There have been a series of holdups at local banks.

a holdup in construction due to the weather

Verb

held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address

traffic was held up for miles by the accident

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Service learned the holdup was due to the site in question also being considered a homeless encampment. — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Lee was convicted of fatally shooting Jimmy Ellis, 53, and Elaine Thompson, 44, during a pawn shop holdup in 1998 in Orrville, about 60 miles west of Montgomery. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

The lawsuit filed by the 12 states and a similar antitrust case filed by the Writers Guild of America West are the last obstacles holding up Paramount’s closing of the WBD acquisition. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026

Beating a perennial playoff team like Green Bay would show that identity can hold up against tougher competition. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1851, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for holdup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup
• pickup

Kids Definition

holdup

1 of 2 noun

hold·​up

1

: a robbery at gunpoint

2

: delay entry 1 sense 1

hold up

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)hōl-ˈdəp

1

: delay entry 2 sense 2, impede

2

: to rob at gunpoint

3

: to continue without failing or losing effectiveness

holding up under the stress

music that holds up twenty years later

Legal Definition

holdup

1 of 2 noun

hold·​up

: an attempted or completed robbery carried out with the use of force and especially at gunpoint

hold up

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to make the victim of a holdup : rob at gunpoint