placeholder
noun
place·hold·er
ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər 
plural placeholders
1
: a person or thing that occupies the position or place of another person or thing
The bill would empower the governor to appoint a placeholder to a vacant U.S. Senate seat, to serve through the next general election cycle.—
John Sharp
John SharpThe result was that the legislation represented little more than a placeholder to put the budget before a conference committee …—Carl Ingram
Carl Ingram2
: a symbol in a mathematical or logical expression that may be replaced by the name of any element of a set
3
American football
: a player who places and holds the ball upright on the ground for placekicking of a field goal
Examples of placeholder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Current backups Jalen Smith and Zach Collins are perfunctory placeholders who don’t project as starters.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
Lowe would be a solid placeholder until prospect James Tibbs III, acquired in the Devers trade, is ready for the majors.
—Jim Bowden, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The committee is expected to include a SALT cap figure far lower than in the deal Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) struck with House Republicans from New York, New Jersey and California, but that is only meant as a placeholder, according to the source familiar with the situation.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 16 June 2025
This form of the budget is essentially a placeholder budget, and subsequent trailer bills are expected to change its final form.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for placeholder
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Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
Lowe would be a solid placeholder until prospect James Tibbs III, acquired in the Devers trade, is ready for the majors.
—Jim Bowden, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The committee is expected to include a SALT cap figure far lower than in the deal Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) struck with House Republicans from New York, New Jersey and California, but that is only meant as a placeholder, according to the source familiar with the situation.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 16 June 2025
This form of the budget is essentially a placeholder budget, and subsequent trailer bills are expected to change its final form.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for placeholder
Cite this Entry
“Placeholder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placeholder. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
placeholder
noun
place·hold·er
ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər
: a symbol used in mathematics in the place of a numeral not yet known
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