as in survived
to continue to operate or to meet one's needs
we hoped our supply of firewood would hold out until power was restored luckily, the old outboard motor held out till we made it to shore
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Recent Examples of held out
Pittsburgh held out the hope of jobs.
—
Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
After the catch, Pickens held out the ball toward Cardinals cornerback Denzel Burke.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Fisheries managers on rivers like the Platte still held out a little, allowing any angler to keep one trout longer than 20 inches.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
The team did imaging on his thumb this week, which led to Dalton being held out of practice on Wednesday.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2025
Complicating matters, the 30-year-old MLS newcomer was held out of the past two games, Varas disciplining him for a tantrum after the coach benched him at halftime three weeks ago in Houston.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
Fans held out hope that Frehley and Peter Criss would pop up at the event and give the world the proper goodbye they were denied on the second farewell tour.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Jakucionis was held out of Monday’s exhibition in Atlanta because of right hip soreness that forced him to exit Sunday’s preseason loss to the Magic early.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
In camp, while starter Terry McLaurin held out because of his contract stalemate and Noah Brown recovered from a knee injury, McCaffrey took most of the first-team reps, moving all over the line.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
After the catch, Pickens held out the ball toward Cardinals cornerback Denzel Burke.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Fisheries managers on rivers like the Platte still held out a little, allowing any angler to keep one trout longer than 20 inches.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
The team did imaging on his thumb this week, which led to Dalton being held out of practice on Wednesday.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2025
Complicating matters, the 30-year-old MLS newcomer was held out of the past two games, Varas disciplining him for a tantrum after the coach benched him at halftime three weeks ago in Houston.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
Fans held out hope that Frehley and Peter Criss would pop up at the event and give the world the proper goodbye they were denied on the second farewell tour.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Jakucionis was held out of Monday’s exhibition in Atlanta because of right hip soreness that forced him to exit Sunday’s preseason loss to the Magic early.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
In camp, while starter Terry McLaurin held out because of his contract stalemate and Noah Brown recovered from a knee injury, McCaffrey took most of the first-team reps, moving all over the line.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held out
Verb
-
Aldo Olivieri, il Gatto Magico (the Magic Cat), who had survived a fractured skull that required drilling to save his life and left him with chronic headaches, became the first-choice goalkeeper.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
He is survived by two other children and his wife.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The trial lasted less than a week, and the jury took less than two and a half hours to find Smith guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, The New York Times reported.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Those talks lasted for five hours.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger secured the governorship with a decisive lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, while Mikie Sherrill prevailed in New Jersey following a campaign centered on affordability and public safety.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
That reasoning was ultimately validated in court, and the federal government prevailed.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Held out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20out. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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