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

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Recent Examples of holding out News of settlement talks began trickling out on Friday but four of the AGs in the group were subsequently described as holding out for more concessions from Paramount. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026 Home shoppers holding out for relief from rising mortgage rates may be in for a long wait. — Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 Trump, in the NewsNation interview, was also asked how Iran could continue holding out under the current economic pressure. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026 Clancy’s supporters were divided, some holding out hope the Commonwealth’s highest court would intervene and others coming to accept what would end up being the inescapable conclusion. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026 Now, the family of one Canton, Georgia woman is holding out hope that she will be found as rescue officials continue to search through debris left by one of the most severe natural disasters in the region. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 The state has already sued one sheriff's agency for holding out. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 Rossum is holding out hope that the pair will give romance a try. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026 One of those holding out hope is kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted from her home at age 14 in 2002 and rescued nine months later. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 24 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding out

Verb

In fact, what may be the only surviving fragment of one of her dresses has been preserved for centuries in a small English country church.

— Filippo Iarocci, Vanity Fair, 19 Sep. 2026
San Basilio de Palenque is the only surviving maroon settlement in the Americas.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of surviving

Verb

The arch, proposed for a circle adjacent to the Memorial Bridge, is one of several projects that the Republican president is pursuing to leave his lasting imprint on Washington.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
The project is one of several projects that the Republican president is pursuing to leave his lasting imprint on Washington.

— Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of lasting

Verb

If the pope continues to challenge prevailing political and economic orthodoxies, some of that support may again prove contingent.

— Colleen Dulle, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
There’s a prevailing belief that nonalcoholic cocktails should cost less than alcoholic ones.

— Esther Tseng, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of prevailing

Verb

For those who haven’t been keeping up with every former Twilight Saga actor, Taylor Lautner married Taylor Dome in 2022.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
In South Florida in particular, where the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years, teacher salaries aren’t keeping up.

— Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of keeping up

Verb

With his unkempt hair and ragamuffin clothing — was that a rope holding up his pants?

— Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Among the black-and-white pictures are images of the couple holding up ultrasound photos, while another shows Nathan placing his hand on Charlotte’s baby bump.

— Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026