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
But Stanton and Ansari also held out for a funding plan that reverses GOP legislation that is expected to begin cutting access to Medicaid services in 2027, and want to avert the loss of insurance subsidies for lower-income Americans starting in January.
—
Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, her husband held out hope.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
Third baseman Max Muncy was held out of the starting lineup for the third time in four games after he was hit in the back of the helmet by a pitch Saturday at San Francisco.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
White had missed four straight practices with an illness and was held out of Sundays’ win over the Dolphins.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Remember, 10 degrees is approximately the same width as your clenched fist when held out against the night sky!
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Lower courts have rejected the administration’s arguments, but the administration has held out hope that the conservative-majority Supreme Court will rescue the tariffs, quickly appealing to the justices and urging them to move with speed.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
The Blue Jays shortstop was able to stay in the game, thanks to a two-hour rain delay that began after his injury, but was held out of Sunday’s lineup.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
More Gavin/Getty Acuna, who missed a large chunk of this season before returning from a knee injury, hit toward the bottom of the order in the team's last two games against the Seattle Mariners after being held out of the lineup entirely in the first game.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, her husband held out hope.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
Third baseman Max Muncy was held out of the starting lineup for the third time in four games after he was hit in the back of the helmet by a pitch Saturday at San Francisco.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
White had missed four straight practices with an illness and was held out of Sundays’ win over the Dolphins.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Remember, 10 degrees is approximately the same width as your clenched fist when held out against the night sky!
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Lower courts have rejected the administration’s arguments, but the administration has held out hope that the conservative-majority Supreme Court will rescue the tariffs, quickly appealing to the justices and urging them to move with speed.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
The Blue Jays shortstop was able to stay in the game, thanks to a two-hour rain delay that began after his injury, but was held out of Sunday’s lineup.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
More Gavin/Getty Acuna, who missed a large chunk of this season before returning from a knee injury, hit toward the bottom of the order in the team's last two games against the Seattle Mariners after being held out of the lineup entirely in the first game.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held out
Verb
-
She is survived by her son, Gregory Pendleton, and by a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
-
He is survived by his two children, Sabrina Jaglom and Simon Jaglom.—
Carmel Dagan,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The barrage lasted for more than 12 hours, the president said.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
-
His sojourn at the hot corner lasted mere seconds.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Chevron and Hess prevailed with their argument that Exxon’s right of first refusal over Hess’ Guyana stake did not apply to an acquisition of Hess in its entirety.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The administration has already prevailed in litigation involving its ban on transgender people serving in the military.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Held out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20out. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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