1
as in to postpone
to assign to a later time
held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stop
to bring (something) to a standstill
traffic was held up for miles by the accident
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to hamper
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
if lack of transportation is the only thing holding you up, I can give you a ride
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4
as in to survive
to continue to operate or to meet one's needs
the air conditioner held up this year, but it's not going to make it through another summer
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5
as in to remain
to remain indefinitely in existence or in the same state
the storm's hurricane-force winds did not hold up once it hit the coast
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6
as in to fly
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
an argument that won't hold up in court
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as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
a holdup in construction due to the weather
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hold up
Tom Cotton, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2026
Washable rugs, once considered a niche product, are now gaining popularity among pet owners looking for solutions that hold up over time.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Kate Perez, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The holdup reportedly took about an hour.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Verb
That starts with retooling the permitting process that approves — or, more often, holds up — major power generation, mining and other critical infrastructure and defense-related projects.
—Tom Cotton, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2026
Washable rugs, once considered a niche product, are now gaining popularity among pet owners looking for solutions that hold up over time.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
The most recent holdup appears to largely stem from internal divisions in the House.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The holdup reportedly took about an hour.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
-
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has postponed all final exams and assignments after an online learning system was taken offline following a cyberattack.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Though they were initially supposed to head to trial this March, Lively and Baldoni’s case was postponed to later this month.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Quin Snyder’s Towns wrinkle stalled the Knicks briefly, then stopped working.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The workers get ordered to start jobs, stop jobs, ignore jobs and are other things that turn them into ping pong balls, with the Butleys and the del Valles as the paddles.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The intensity of the flames and the resulting smoke, compounded by the fact that the fire spread over the area mostly after dark, hampered the aerial firefighting strategy.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If jet-fuel prices don’t come down soon, other ultra-discount carriers may also be struggling to survive.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
Most banana plants survive even severe freezes and can make new grow from shoots at or below the ground line.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
For now, though, Lozano remains out of sight, but not out of the conversation.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
First, since no one actually knows the future, guessing, speculating, or simply making things up remains the state of the art for almost everyone involved in describing it.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The passenger's 69-year-old wife leaves and flies to South Africa.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Passengers were already paying more to fly – even before the industry lost the budget airline famous for pushing fares lower.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Heidi Vonblum, the city’s planning director, said the delay will allow the city to help neighborhoods that have suffered from past city zoning practices, including zoning based on race or ethnicity.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Gas prices, which tend to follow moves in oil with a delay, were slightly higher on May 7.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
In February, opponents packed the City Hall chambers ahead of a planned Historic Preservation Board meeting, which was ultimately deferred at the Fontainebleau’s request after one of the board members didn’t show up.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Booker deferred too much to Durant.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hold up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20up. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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