as in keeping up
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in postponing
to assign to a later time
held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in flying
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
an argument that won't hold up in court
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of holding up
ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
In fact, the International Atomic Energy Agency had consistently certified Tehran was holding up its end of the bargain.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Last week, Xi met the leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the China-friendly Kuomintang, which is holding up a $40 billion special defense budget to purchase US weapons.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026
They could be seen posing in a field together, holding up a series of sonogram images.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
He was also photographed holding up the heart emoji with his hands — a tribute to his two daughters — while being introduced ahead of the Artemis II takeoff.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
The resultant device blends fast discharge speeds with massive storage capacity, holding up to 25 times more energy per kilogram than conventional versions.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies -- claims that Zelenskyy denies.
—Lorne Cook The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
The company said growing demand for power, supply chain and other issues holding up new power sources and plant outages contributed to the need to keep Comanche 2 open longer than planned.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
Several feature her holding up Ironman finisher medals or plaques.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
In fact, the International Atomic Energy Agency had consistently certified Tehran was holding up its end of the bargain.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Last week, Xi met the leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the China-friendly Kuomintang, which is holding up a $40 billion special defense budget to purchase US weapons.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026
They could be seen posing in a field together, holding up a series of sonogram images.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
He was also photographed holding up the heart emoji with his hands — a tribute to his two daughters — while being introduced ahead of the Artemis II takeoff.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
The resultant device blends fast discharge speeds with massive storage capacity, holding up to 25 times more energy per kilogram than conventional versions.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026
Hungary's nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies -- claims that Zelenskyy denies.
—Lorne Cook The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
The company said growing demand for power, supply chain and other issues holding up new power sources and plant outages contributed to the need to keep Comanche 2 open longer than planned.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding up
Verb
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During emergencies the governor would be able to reshape state regulations, suspend laws and redirect funding, as Newsom did during the COVID-19 pandemic by banning price gouging, halting evictions and postponing the 2020 tax deadline.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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Trump is expected to travel to China in mid-May to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, after postponing the trip because of the Iran war.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Let’s imagine—in a case of truly terrible architectural planning—that there is only one extremely slow elevator, stopping at each floor and taking one minute per floor.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Schools brought in counselors for the victims’ young classmates and community leaders called for a citywide reckoning on stopping domestic violence.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In January, Geren notified more than 50 of the 62 Democrats that each owes $9,200 in fines and other charges for impeding the progress of the House by not showing up in the Capitol last August as lawmakers deliberated a plan to overhaul the state's congressional map.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Apr. 2026
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Miller's family members openly accused then-sheriff Marion Joe Russell of impeding the investigation, as Nipp was Russell's nephew.—
Jessie Christopher Smith,
Oklahoman,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Davis reflected on the tragedy of the situation and the trauma inflected on the surviving children.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
His is a work of coming to terms with the odds, surviving them, and doing so with grace, radiance, generosity, and spirit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Thinly slice remaining 1 scallion on a diagonal; set aside for serving.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Apr. 2026
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Using Opta’s power rankings to estimate the relative difficulty of each side’s remaining games, Carlos Corberan’s Valencia have the most to fear.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Having conceded twice in a losing effort last weekend at Portland for their first blemish of the year, LAFC met up with an Earthquakes (7-1-0, 21 points) team that was flying high under sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Bruins teammates didn’t pack any of their belongings before flying to New York to attend the draft, but after another cross-country flight home to Los Angeles, the pair had barely 24 hours to put their entire lives in boxes before heading back to the East Coast to join the Connecticut Sun.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For a worker with a $2,200 monthly benefit at full retirement age, living to 85 and delaying from 62 to 70 produces roughly $66,240 more in total lifetime benefits.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
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As a result, the agency halted balloon launches at some locations and is delaying them elsewhere.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The September 2025 order cleared the way for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to resume broad sweeps in Los Angeles, halting a lower court ruling that restricted ICE's practices.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Israel halting its attacks on Lebanon has been a key condition for Iran war negotiations beginning, the speaker of Iran's parliament has said.—
Sean Conlon,Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20up. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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