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
Further down the line, investors are holding out hope for big tech IPOs to return later into Trump’s presidency.
—
Ryan Browne, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025
This framing commits Beijing to holding out, because the alternative is for a party that predicates its power on the projection of strength to appear to be capitulating to a hostile onslaught.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
Optimistic Chinese observers even held out hope for a grand bargain with Trump over trade, TikTok – and perhaps even Taiwan.
—Beijing and Washington Bureaus, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
As theaters continue to struggle in the aftermath of the pandemic, Los Angeles residents hold out hope hope that the Cinerama Dome and ArcLight theaters may someday return.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Ryan Browne, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025
This framing commits Beijing to holding out, because the alternative is for a party that predicates its power on the projection of strength to appear to be capitulating to a hostile onslaught.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
Optimistic Chinese observers even held out hope for a grand bargain with Trump over trade, TikTok – and perhaps even Taiwan.
—Beijing and Washington Bureaus, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
As theaters continue to struggle in the aftermath of the pandemic, Los Angeles residents hold out hope hope that the Cinerama Dome and ArcLight theaters may someday return.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold out
Verb
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The saying goes that the only things to survive the apocalypse will be Twinkies and roaches.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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Yes, the cast members who survived Season 1—Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams), Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams), and Fred Armisen (Uncle Fester), alongside Ortega’s Wednesday Addams—will all be returning.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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You’re being called to play the long game, to build something that lasts.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 May 2025
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The caregiver partner can feel a consistent stress to keep it together during that time, which can last decades.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Light winds are expected to prevail, potentially keeping transport levels low and aiding in containment of the wildfire.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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While most losses were caused by fraud, ransomware prevailed as the largest threat to critical infrastructure in 2024, the FBI said.—
Nicole Brown Chau,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20out. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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