1
as in postponing
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 stopping
to bring (something) to a standstill
traffic was held up for miles by the accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in impeding
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in surviving
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in remaining
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in flying
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
an argument that won't hold up in court
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in keeping up
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of holding up
Rob Wile, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
This opens up numerous applications, Ibrahim says, proudly holding up a vial of the yellow-brown slush in the lab.
—Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
Joined by cohost Craig Melvin, the 53-year-old anchor was innocently interacting with fans at New York City's Rockefeller Plaza on Wednesday when Melvin spotted a woman holding up a poster of Guthrie sporting her '90s-era black bob.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
Attendees gathered to listen to speakers, with many holding up signs in support of the Workers Over Billionaires' ethos.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
This one-piece from Quince is both flattering and durable, holding up beautifully against chlorine, salt water, and even high-speed waterslides.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2025
In really wintry weather the turbo-charger wastegate can freeze due to moisture, but in general the turbos seem to be holding up.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2025
The series of black-and-white photos showed the then-family of four in different poses and holding up a sonogram strip.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Many financial groups continue to report that spending is largely holding up.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 16 Sep. 2025
This opens up numerous applications, Ibrahim says, proudly holding up a vial of the yellow-brown slush in the lab.
—Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
Joined by cohost Craig Melvin, the 53-year-old anchor was innocently interacting with fans at New York City's Rockefeller Plaza on Wednesday when Melvin spotted a woman holding up a poster of Guthrie sporting her '90s-era black bob.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
Attendees gathered to listen to speakers, with many holding up signs in support of the Workers Over Billionaires' ethos.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
This one-piece from Quince is both flattering and durable, holding up beautifully against chlorine, salt water, and even high-speed waterslides.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2025
In really wintry weather the turbo-charger wastegate can freeze due to moisture, but in general the turbos seem to be holding up.
—John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs and Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2025
The series of black-and-white photos showed the then-family of four in different poses and holding up a sonogram strip.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding up
Verb
-
Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Parton missing a Dollywood event isn't entirely unusual, but postponing by nearly a year what was meant to be her return to Vegas after nearly three decades since her last extended run in the city has raised eyebrows.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Teams have no choice but to continue to throw numbers at stopping the run.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That's the same deadline that Grassley gave Noem to respond about stopping student visa authorizations.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
According to my company's 2025 IT Trends Report, 44% of IT professionals cite a lack of real-time visibility into network connectivity as a primary factor impeding their productivity.—
Douglas Murray,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The criminal complaint says authorities are charging Henson with damaging government property or contracts and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Soros makes a fortune on Wall Street Soros, a Hungarian native born in 1930, moved to London after surviving the Nazi occupation of his home country.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The service was held at Elvis Presley’s Tennessee home Graceland, and Garcia was joined by his mother and Lisa Marie’s surviving children.—
Stephanie Kaloi,
PEOPLE,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The remaining contestants are placed in the center of a grid of 16 rooms, and asked to find the exit within 15 rounds.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The appointments of Stacie Brown and Monty Baugh in March 2024 filled the remaining seats on the board.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
What To Know Schleswig-Holstein's interior minster, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, confirmed that drones were seen flying above the coastal state just south of Denmark overnight into Friday, September 26, and that the incident is under investigation for potential sabotage or espionage.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The shutdown means the Fed will be partially flying blind with investors expecting the central bank's second rate cut of the year later this month and another decrease in December.—
Sean Conlon,Pia Singh,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Host Jimmy Kimmel milked the moment, delaying confirming that their answer was correct for a very tense minute.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Boys may experience greater benefits from delaying their start date compared to girls, said Ioakim Boutakidis, professor of child and adolescent studies at Cal State Fullerton.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The sanctions, which will go into effect unless there’s a last-minute deal Friday, will include freezing Iranian assets abroad, halting arms deals with Tehran and penalizing any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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The best shot at halting the gerrymander, experts and some Democrats say, is fighting the map in court and at the ballot box.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holding up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20up. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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