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
Another found a pilot holding out an iPad as passengers deplaned trying to squeeze out a few last pennies by asking for tips.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2026
And that’s better than holding out for the dream job and not working at all, like so many Gen Zers are.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 3 May 2026
Community support and a potential lifeline The Myerses are still holding out hope that their carrier will cover the procedure, but in the meantime, a group of friends launched a GoFundMe page to try to raise $50,000 to help pay for the procedure in cash.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
Baltimore County police are still holding out hope of solving the homicide investigation of Morgan State student Deborah Scott, who died 50 years ago.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Vahidi is believed to hold hard-line views more likely to be associated with holding out for additional American concessions in negotiations, continuing to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage to impose economic penalties across the globe, and refusing to give up their nuclear program.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
The strategic calculus, for both countries, is about holding out longer than the other.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The Hawks sat most of their regulars on Sunday, holding out Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga, CJ McCollum and Onyeka Okongwu.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Maybe the governor was simply ahead of his time, holding out for our lemon pepper wing taste test — only the best from Georgia.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2026
And that’s better than holding out for the dream job and not working at all, like so many Gen Zers are.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 3 May 2026
Community support and a potential lifeline The Myerses are still holding out hope that their carrier will cover the procedure, but in the meantime, a group of friends launched a GoFundMe page to try to raise $50,000 to help pay for the procedure in cash.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
Baltimore County police are still holding out hope of solving the homicide investigation of Morgan State student Deborah Scott, who died 50 years ago.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Vahidi is believed to hold hard-line views more likely to be associated with holding out for additional American concessions in negotiations, continuing to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage to impose economic penalties across the globe, and refusing to give up their nuclear program.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
The strategic calculus, for both countries, is about holding out longer than the other.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The Hawks sat most of their regulars on Sunday, holding out Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga, CJ McCollum and Onyeka Okongwu.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Maybe the governor was simply ahead of his time, holding out for our lemon pepper wing taste test — only the best from Georgia.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding out
Verb
-
Almost immediately, the surviving trees faced trouble.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
The annoyance economy’s impact can be starker for those surviving on tighter budgets.—
Becca Stanek,
TheWeek,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Both are durable, standing up to the summer heat and rains, often lasting well into late fall or early winter.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
Asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin said a meeting was possible only once a lasting peace deal was agreed.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
After moving to the University of California, San Diego, in the late 1960s, Braunwald challenged the then-prevailing dogma that development of a blood clot in one of the coronary arteries feeding the heart instantly acted like a light switch to destroy the organ’s muscle.—
Lawrence K. Altman,
STAT,
7 May 2026
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Read the full Semafor Intelligence findings on prevailing views from Semafor World Economy 2026 here.—
Rachel Keidan,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
In addition to the existential problems of the products being produced in the Valley, for Glatzer there’s the logistical issue of keeping up with the extremely fast pace of technology.—
Amanda Champagne-Meadows,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
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The Nevada Irrigation District says the increases are necessary to fix aging infrastructure while keeping up with rising costs.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But another federal agency was apparently holding up the revision.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The photo shows Belichick, wearing a Code Black shirt and hat covered in roses, and Hudson, still sporting her cheerleading uniform, holding up three fingers for the camera.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holding out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20out. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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