HOLDING OUT Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

holding out

verb

present participle of hold out

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of holding out Not every senator from a Big Ten state is holding out for the sake of one school in the conference. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 20 July 2026 In a video shared by Fox Sports, the father of three could be seen turning to his teenager and holding out his hand. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026 England was superb with its back to the wall, first holding out volleys of Argentina attacks then, restored to 14 men and finally to full strength, scoring tries through Marcus Smith and Manny Feyi-Waboso to seal its win. — ABC News, 18 July 2026 The advocates are holding out hope that their messages will incite change. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 13 July 2026 Villa is holding out hope that one day soon, either through luck or Millete having a change of heart, May’s family will find her body and be able to give it a final resting place. — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026 Their coach, Rudi Garcia, showed some tactical daring, holding out two of his more prominent players until partway through the second half, injecting some energy into the game when the starters began to flag. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 After all the talk of the Celtics holding out for a huge package of players and picks, the smaller return was staggering. — David Aldridge, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Still, supporters of the science bond are holding out hope. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding out

Verb

Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa also scored as England raced to a 4-0 halftime lead before surviving a frantic second half to secure the nation’s best World Cup finish since winning the title in 1966.

— Mark Hodge, NBC news, 20 July 2026
On one of the surviving Ottoman maps of Athens, it’s indicated by a dotted line, a marking that also indicated what is believed to have been a plan of underground tunnels below the citadel.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Definition of surviving

Verb

How lasting that business could be will depend on whether the shortage of AI infrastructure persists.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 July 2026
The companies that create lasting value will build the infrastructure that allows healthcare organizations to confidently rely on information collected outside traditional clinical settings.

— AllBusiness, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of lasting

Verb

Which, in addition to mourning, was the other prevailing sentiment in the shop.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 23 July 2026
The council on Tuesday voted unanimously to defer the matter to the future, as councilmembers doubted the measure’s chance of prevailing given its $1 million price tag and late timing in the election season.

— Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 23 July 2026

Definition of prevailing

Verb

Some respondents have opted to reduce their plan contributions or borrow from their 401(k)s to meet other financial goals, such as reducing debt, paying for emergency expenses or keeping up with rising living costs, according to the results.

— Lorie Konish, CNBC, 15 July 2026
But rookie Brandon Valenzuela admitted recently that he's had some trouble keeping up with the evolving celebrations.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of keeping up

Verb

The aggregate hides what exactly is falling and what might still be holding up.

— Victor Karpenko, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Blushing, Slaton continued talking about the couple’s favorite low-key outings before eventually holding up her left hand to show off her engagement ring.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026