1
as in to postpone
to assign to a later time
held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to bring (something) to a standstill
traffic was held up for miles by the accident
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to hamper
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to survive
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to remain
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to fly
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
an argument that won't hold up in court
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as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
a holdup in construction due to the weather
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hold up
Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025
If their account holds up, the standard view of how the universe evolved will need serious revamping.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The source of the holdup is a quiet internal policy requiring projects to undergo not just scientific review, but political scrutiny.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Verb
At Semafor’s summit, Muyaya blamed Rwanda for failing to hold up its end of the deal and for denying its links to M23, calling for the US administration to pile more pressure on Kigali.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025
If their account holds up, the standard view of how the universe evolved will need serious revamping.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
So, what's the Rockets' holdup?
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The source of the holdup is a quiet internal policy requiring projects to undergo not just scientific review, but political scrutiny.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
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Fans have been waiting for Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor to duke it out in the octagon, but injuries and other factors have postponed the bout.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Chichester’s match against Lewes on Saturday was postponed and Tuesday night’s game against Cheshunt will not be going ahead either.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The traffic itself generally keeps moving rather than fully stopping.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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Fighting on the island had stopped, so the soldiers in the picture were not under fire, and the action of raising the flag (there is a movie of it) took all of a few seconds.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Education experts are raising awareness about an opportunity gap existing in schools and are worried that school equity may be hampered by the next state budget.—
Leah Olajide,
Freep.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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The removal of Helena-West Helena's mayor in July has hampered efforts to repair the city's aging water infrastructure, according to local officials.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Sep. 2025
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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National parks appear to have weathed summer crowds despite staffing cuts, but fall remains uncertain.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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Sometime Tuesday or Wednesday is the forecast for when the storms will be closest if remaining independent, and each will be due east of the coast between Wilmington in North Carolina and the state border of South Carolina and Georgia.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Also, there is no Santa, but Alexia’s gay Jonny is there to trash-talk Todd once more before flying home to Spain.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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The weapon can also fly more than 45 miles to strike mobile targets, reducing the amount of time that aircrews spend in harm’s way.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These companies benefit from the speed and cost savings of blockchain payments, without the constant fear of account closures or unjustified delays.—
Sonia Osorio,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
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The case remained in the public's eye because of a series of delays, the separation of Ascher's and Fraker's cases from Miller, and a change of attorneys and judges between 2023 and the 2025 trial.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Joseph VonNida deferred questions about the state’s version of that unit to the Department of Homeland Security.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
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Cox also called for unity in hopes of deferring political violence.—
Lee Ann Anderson,
The Hill,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20up. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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