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
Two-time Gold Glove shortstop Dansby Swanson was held out of the Cubs' starting lineup for a second straight game.
—
CBS News, 7 June 2026
American forces held out until reinforcements drove the Germans back in late January 1945, helping clear a path to Berlin.
—Kevin Maurer, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Dietz was held out of Arkansas’ 9-5 opening-game victory over Missouri State Friday, in effect saving him to face host KU.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2026
The fourth-round cornerback made strides last week, as he was not overtly held out from any activities during OTAs.
—Sam Warren, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Meta Platforms held out the possibility that some employees might be able to continue working at the company under certain circumstances.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
The actor then approaches the crowd to sign various items held out in front of him.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II handled most of Miami’s tailback workload while Achane was held out.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo was held out of the race, leaving a wide-open field of 14 horses to contest the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, which was held at Laurel Park this year because Pimlico in Baltimore is being rebuilt.
—Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
CBS News, 7 June 2026
American forces held out until reinforcements drove the Germans back in late January 1945, helping clear a path to Berlin.
—Kevin Maurer, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Dietz was held out of Arkansas’ 9-5 opening-game victory over Missouri State Friday, in effect saving him to face host KU.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2026
The fourth-round cornerback made strides last week, as he was not overtly held out from any activities during OTAs.
—Sam Warren, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Meta Platforms held out the possibility that some employees might be able to continue working at the company under certain circumstances.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
The actor then approaches the crowd to sign various items held out in front of him.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II handled most of Miami’s tailback workload while Achane was held out.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo was held out of the race, leaving a wide-open field of 14 horses to contest the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, which was held at Laurel Park this year because Pimlico in Baltimore is being rebuilt.
—Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held out
Verb
-
Lee, survived by his 11-year-old son, is remembered as a family man.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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The mice that typically survived at high rates fared much worse when housed with KTI-3 mice, with their survival falling to 10%.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
On Thursday, the school promoted offensive coordinator Anthony Vizakis to take over the coveted role, ending a search that lasted about six weeks.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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The struggle between the federal agent and the two men lasted about 12 seconds, contradicting the agent’s account that he was engaged in a struggle for about three minutes before the shooting.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Kramer took the case to trial and prevailed.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
But throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th, a simplistic patriotic narrative prevailed.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20out. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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