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
Any ballot that comes back from one of the 170 voters that the elections office hasn’t been able to contact will be held out and not tabulated to give a voter more time until the March 10 election to receive and submit a new ballot.
—
Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Brendan Morrow Speaking to NBC News, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators are holding out hope that Nancy Guthrie is alive.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
He was held out of Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics due to left knee injury management.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The vote was held open for about 45 minutes as several Republicans held out on casting their votes.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
Brendan Morrow Speaking to NBC News, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators are holding out hope that Nancy Guthrie is alive.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
He was held out of Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics due to left knee injury management.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The vote was held open for about 45 minutes as several Republicans held out on casting their votes.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold out
Verb
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Silverblatt is survived by his sister, Joan Bykofsky.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
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These very early prehistoric burials in southern England and Wales, because of their northern location, haven’t generally survived due to the glaciers that populated the area during the Ice Age.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Duren then appeared to hit Diabaté in the face with an open hand to ignite a brawl that lasted more than 30 seconds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Because the pre-planetary stage lasts only a few thousand years, the Egg Nebula provides scientists a chance to watch the ejection process practically in real time.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Still, experts say, in naval combat, the larger force usually prevails.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Sunny skies will prevail as well, pushing afternoon highs to the mid-upper 80s toward the weekend.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hold out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20out. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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