placeholder

noun

place·​hold·​er ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər How to pronounce placeholder (audio)
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
The result was that the legislation represented little more than a placeholder to put the budget before a conference committee …Carl Ingram
2
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Instead, they were told the $100,000 allocation to the rodeo in their 2024-25 promotional budget was just a placeholder and that Clodfelter had pledged to find the funds elsewhere if CountryFest ever needed the money. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025 On the internet, such a placeholder for nothing will, over a period of time — and in the instance of this meme, very little time — become meaningful. Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025 The upside is New Orleans quarterback Spencer Rattler, a former fifth-round pick, is nothing more than a placeholder for a rebuilding franchise. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025 This approach is very effective, as there is a particular placeholder to address challenges in a dedicated and less emotional setting. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for placeholder

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of placeholder was in 1927

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Cite this Entry

“Placeholder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placeholder. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

placeholder

noun
place·​hold·​er ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər How to pronounce placeholder (audio)
: a symbol used in mathematics in the place of a numeral not yet known
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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