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
Brendan Morrow Speaking to NBC News, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators are holding out hope that Nancy Guthrie is alive.
—
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
In the meantime, Musto said that PennDOT keeps holding out for sunshine.
—John Shumway, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
But this was largely attributed to buyers holding out for better prices that may yet follow and the overall market remains resilient.
—Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Jones continues holding out hope for a title run.
—Dallas Morning News, 7 Jan. 2026
Despite the lack of answers, Jim and Nancy remained optimistic, holding out hope for their kids' eventual discovery.
—Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
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
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
In the meantime, Musto said that PennDOT keeps holding out for sunshine.
—John Shumway, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
But this was largely attributed to buyers holding out for better prices that may yet follow and the overall market remains resilient.
—Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Jones continues holding out hope for a title run.
—Dallas Morning News, 7 Jan. 2026
Despite the lack of answers, Jim and Nancy remained optimistic, holding out hope for their kids' eventual discovery.
—Makena Gera, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding out
Verb
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This puts a premium on range, payload, and onboard computing power, all while surviving the stresses of carrier launches and recoveries at sea.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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The organization’s website states that receiving CPR immediately after the onset can help to double – even triple – the chances of surviving.—
Pioneer Press,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Abdulsalam Haykal, Syria's minister of communications and information technology, said the nearly $1 billion telecommunications development will take place in two stages lasting between 18 months and two years.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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But turning this moment into lasting advantage will require careful planning, not just short-term opportunism.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Software executives aren't the only ones trying to counter the prevailing narrative.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
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Adaption Labs represents a significant bet against the prevailing AI industry wisdom that the best way to create more capable AI models is to make the underlying LLMs bigger and train them on more data.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pretty quickly, Matt committed to keeping up appearances.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Water level changes on Catawba basin The broader Catawba River system, Jones said, is still holding up for now.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
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After the win, Mafe celebrated with a cigar and holding up the Nigerian flag in honor of his heritage.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20out. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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