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
Herro, who turns 26 on Tuesday, will miss his second straight game with the rib injury Monday after also being held out of Saturday’s home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Stroheim’s career was more precarious than ever, but the prospect of another independent venture—with Swanson as producer, presumably backed by Kennedy’s riches—held out the prospect of salvation.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Forward John Collins listed as available, but Coach Tyronn Lue said he was held out as a precaution with a soft tissue injury.
—Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Cabrera held out hope Hampton would one day talk more.
—Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The Trojans were also forced to play most of Tuesday without Chad Baker-Mazara, who was held out after halftime with a neck injury.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Porter returned after sitting out Sunday's game, while Brooklyn's Cam Thomas and Egor Nemin were held out Monday after playing Sunday.
—CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
Noah Whittington, who leads Oregon with 829 rushing yards, was held out with an undisclosed injury after Jordon Davison, who had rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns, already was listed as out with a collarbone injury.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
He was held out of the third-place game.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
Stroheim’s career was more precarious than ever, but the prospect of another independent venture—with Swanson as producer, presumably backed by Kennedy’s riches—held out the prospect of salvation.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
Forward John Collins listed as available, but Coach Tyronn Lue said he was held out as a precaution with a soft tissue injury.
—Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Cabrera held out hope Hampton would one day talk more.
—Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The Trojans were also forced to play most of Tuesday without Chad Baker-Mazara, who was held out after halftime with a neck injury.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Porter returned after sitting out Sunday's game, while Brooklyn's Cam Thomas and Egor Nemin were held out Monday after playing Sunday.
—CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
Noah Whittington, who leads Oregon with 829 rushing yards, was held out with an undisclosed injury after Jordon Davison, who had rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns, already was listed as out with a collarbone injury.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
He was held out of the third-place game.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held out
Verb
-
Ewing never married or had children, but is survived by other family members, per Extra.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Despite the rest of the royal family being executed, their eldest daughter, Marie-Thérèse, survived.—
Elle Meier,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Like many, my love for vanilla started in middle school with a cloyingly sweet mall brand body mist that lasted on my skin for all of 15 minutes.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
-
In years past, Newsom would personally go through the budget, almost line-by-line, in presentations that sometimes lasted three hours.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Burlington prevailed, 57-54, in a tough road environment against Winchester, ending their conference rival’s undefeated season.—
Justin Barrasso,
Boston Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Eventually, the truth prevailed — tobacco causes cancer.—
David Thomas,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20out. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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