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
Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray was held out to rest as part of his comeback from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
—
Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Going farther back, after the DOJ reached a settlement in the landmark Microsoft antitrust case in the late 1990s, a group of states held out, seeking their own remedies.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
If only the Bears could hold out a little while longer until Johnson is shown the door and begin again.
—Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Helman, a product of Texas A&M, seemed surprised when Nimmo was holding out the Rolex before giving him the box.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Going farther back, after the DOJ reached a settlement in the landmark Microsoft antitrust case in the late 1990s, a group of states held out, seeking their own remedies.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2026
If only the Bears could hold out a little while longer until Johnson is shown the door and begin again.
—Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Helman, a product of Texas A&M, seemed surprised when Nimmo was holding out the Rolex before giving him the box.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold out
Verb
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She was taken to a local hospital, and authorities said she's expected to survive.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
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Beyond being a snapshot of the past, these barrels filled with lime had been buried to mitigate chemical reactivity and to survive the winters.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kevin MacEgan said his father’s honor, wisdom, kindness and character will serve as his lasting legacy.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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And city residents question whether the strategy will produce lasting gains or primarily serve short-term political goals.—
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That, at any rate, is a viewpoint that prevails at some of the sturdier colleges in the United States.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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In the closing seconds, McEnelly willingly took a pair of stall calls to avoid any further attacks, prevailing 4-3 and snapping Welsh’s 40-match win streak.—
Twin Cities,
Twin Cities,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hold out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20out. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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