HELD UP Synonyms: 240 Similar and Opposite Words

held up

verb

past tense of hold up

as in postponed

to assign to a later time held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address

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Relevance

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as in stopped

to bring (something) to a standstill traffic was held up for miles by the accident

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as in hampered

to create difficulty for the work or activity of if lack of transportation is the only thing holding you up, I can give you a ride

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as in survived

to continue to operate or to meet one's needs the air conditioner held up this year, but it's not going to make it through another summer

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as in remained

to remain indefinitely in existence or in the same state the storm's hurricane-force winds did not hold up once it hit the coast

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as in flew

to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval an argument that won't hold up in court

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of held up One big concern is that screens are intensively stimulating for young people because they are held up close and engage young viewers with things such as fast cuts and colors. —

CNN Money, 4 June 2026 But federal funding was held up for months, thanks to an environmental lawsuit by opponents of the facility. —

Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026 The congresswoman held up jars of discolored water and said some families had resorted to shipping water to their homes for cooking and bathing. —

Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 4 June 2026 The ones that made the cut held up throughout a full day, were buildable, and worked on a variety of skin types. —

Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 28 May 2026 Bessent held up a draft of the Post's story while briefing White House reporters on Thursday. —

Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 28 May 2026 During this seemingly very important meeting, however, Altman claimed that Musk held up talks by making everyone look at memes with him. —

Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 14 May 2026 In late 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Administration did agree to fund a $42-million buyout program for about 20 homes ruined by the land movement, but that money remains held up in a long approval process, Mihranian said. —

Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026 The promise held up when Shoemaker, 64, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2021, when he was covered under the military’s health care program, TRICARE. —

Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held up

Verb

Executives from the top AI and tech firms had been invited, and some were en route to the White House when the order was postponed.

— Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 2 June 2026
The sentencing date for two men who pleaded guilty to siphoning money from a campaign account belonging to gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra will be postponed for at least two months, court records show.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026