as in to survive
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hold out
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
During the clip, the husband begins by holding out the newborn's blanket for Jax to sniff.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold out
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
During the clip, the husband begins by holding out the newborn's blanket for Jax to sniff.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold out
Verb
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People will do anything to survive, but a life without purpose can be worse than death; watching Emma Thompson bleed, shiver, and shoot her way through a movie this cold is proof enough of that.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
24 Sep. 2025
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But as engineers push toward technologies that must survive extreme heat or power the next generation of batteries, old methods show their limits.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many San Diego families and local employers were thrown into a lurch during the strike, which lasted just over one week in February 1996.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
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Utting believes a glut is on its way starting in 2030 and lasting until 2035 or so—right when VG is largely finished ramping up its incredible wave of growth.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And if the Europeans prevail, New Yorkers should congratulate them for showing the toughness to win a Ryder Cup in a hostile road arena — a toughness the Americans haven’t shown since 1993.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Manfred reacted to the jilting by taking shots at ESPN’s distribution model, but cooler heads would (eventually) prevail.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20out. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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