as in surviving
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 holding out
Step by careful step, Holbrook climbed, holding out bologna and cheese until two pairs of cautious eyes peeked back.
—
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
His career at Florida has centered on building muscle, but some concerns about his health still loom, which played a role in Golden holding out until late Thursday night.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Although China sales haven’t been included in Nvidia’s outlook for some time, many investors were still holding out hope that shipments could restart following some encouraging developments this summer .
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2025
Sometimes owners are holding out for a bigger payday.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
In the shutdown standoff, congressional Democrats are holding out for certain health care provisions, including an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Democrats are holding out to extend the pandemic-era subsidies used by about 20 million Americans and more than 300,000 Arizonans.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Either way, don’t stop holding out hope for more Greta Lee.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
Urban asked the concertgoer, holding out a microphone, as shown in a video shared by media agency Nashville XP.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
His career at Florida has centered on building muscle, but some concerns about his health still loom, which played a role in Golden holding out until late Thursday night.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Although China sales haven’t been included in Nvidia’s outlook for some time, many investors were still holding out hope that shipments could restart following some encouraging developments this summer .
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2025
Sometimes owners are holding out for a bigger payday.
—Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
In the shutdown standoff, congressional Democrats are holding out for certain health care provisions, including an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Democrats are holding out to extend the pandemic-era subsidies used by about 20 million Americans and more than 300,000 Arizonans.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Either way, don’t stop holding out hope for more Greta Lee.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
Urban asked the concertgoer, holding out a microphone, as shown in a video shared by media agency Nashville XP.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding out
Verb
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Eighty-seven years after surviving the terror of Kristallnacht, a 101-year-old Holocaust survivor says the world today feels alarmingly similar to Nazi Germany in 1938.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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The surviving members of Soundgarden — Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd, and founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto — were present for the induction.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And analysts had cautioned of a long road ahead before a lasting peace deal would be achieved.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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The disaster’s impacts were lasting enough that some of these trends took a decade to detect.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Carolina and Kansas have played seven times in the NCAAs, with KU prevailing in five of the seven contests.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
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One of the prevailing theories posits that little red dots are feeding and growing supermassive black holes.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Grid bottlenecks hamper Indian renewables growth India’s energy grid isn’t keeping up with a surge in clean power.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
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Plus, keeping up with maintenance is the best way to preserve your investment.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The photos show the couple's two older kids — son Charlie, 2, and daughter Grace, 5 — holding up balloon numbers of 1 and 2, while Abbie is pictured holding a series of sonogram images and the balloon number 3.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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The United States is at a critical moment where family caregivers are holding up their families and the country's long-term care system, said Megan O'Reilly, vice president for health and family for AARP government affairs.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holding out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20out. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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