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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Recent Examples of hold out
No matter how many shows you guys do, his voice just holds out.
—
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2026
The exec is holding out hope for the format continuing to have a life at the network with original programming.
—Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The lack of medical options has worried a lot of infectious disease experts — but some are holding out hope.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 20 May 2026
The talented corner prospect stretched and did some drills with his new teammates, but was held out of team periods and most individual drills to work with trainers on the side.
—Sam Warren, New York Times, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2026
The exec is holding out hope for the format continuing to have a life at the network with original programming.
—Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The lack of medical options has worried a lot of infectious disease experts — but some are holding out hope.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 20 May 2026
The talented corner prospect stretched and did some drills with his new teammates, but was held out of team periods and most individual drills to work with trainers on the side.
—Sam Warren, New York Times, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold out
Verb
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Two men died and one woman survived a helicopter crash leaving a wedding in North Georgia on Friday night, the coroner confirmed.—
Samantha Hogan,
AJC.com,
1 June 2026
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There's no doubt that when temperatures start to rise and approach 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the only way to survive is to find places with fans or air conditioning, or, if possible, escape to the beach or pool to cool off.—
Marilú Almaguer,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The June 3 gathering, lasting over three hours, was no less heated.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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After negotiations that lasted nearly nine hours, Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire, contingent on a cessation of Hezbollah fire and the removal of Hezbollah operatives from southern Lebanon.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The prevailing aura in Müller’s Polaroids is of dreamy recall.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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If San Antonio prevails, league custom suggests the Spurs would still award him championship jewelry in recognition of his contributions earlier in the season.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hold out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20out. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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