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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hold up
Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
Wooden stakes and cords held up the cucumber and cherry tomato plants.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
Nate wants to keep Polly safe, but that also means introducing her to the darker side of his world, teaching her how to defend herself and enlisting her aid in a convenience-store holdup.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Verb
This opens up numerous applications, Ibrahim says, proudly holding up a vial of the yellow-brown slush in the lab.
—Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
Wooden stakes and cords held up the cucumber and cherry tomato plants.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
The slain suspect, Lahione Soto, is suspected in a string of nearby holdups in the minutes leading up to the shooting, police sources said.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
Nate wants to keep Polly safe, but that also means introducing her to the darker side of his world, teaching her how to defend herself and enlisting her aid in a convenience-store holdup.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
-
If the high court agrees to review the case, any potential retrial could be postponed indefinitely.—
Adeola Adeosun
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The question of whether to postpone or proceed with matches has been an increasingly fraught issue this season, and is not limited to medical emergencies involving individual players.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Nothing better than putting down the top and driving beautiful roads just after the rain stops and the air is powerfully charged by the nearby ocean, scrubbed clean.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
In fact, water levels at Lake Powell, one of the main water storage reservoirs for the Colorado River Basin, could fall low enough to stop hydropower generation at the reservoir by December 2026, according to the NOAA report.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And the new administration may be further hampering those plans.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But it has been largely forgotten over the past five decades, as the people who knew about it and the 10 people who survived it grew older or passed away.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, and completely unprepared for that kind of pressure, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, survive a series of formidable trials, and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The takeover remains widely unpopular among Washington residents – some 80% oppose it, according to a Washington Post poll.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Frontier, American are the perennial problem children Frontier Airlines remains stuck at the bottom for the third straight year.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While some travelers choose to fly on Thanksgiving Day for lower prices and crowds, most leave at least a day early to avoid the risk of cancellations or delays upending their holiday plans.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Two games in, though, the Packers have passed both tests with flying colors.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Even in areas accustomed to heavier snowfalls, accumulations in this range can result in delays, collisions and road closures if not treated promptly.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Therefore, the resulting stock drops can be viewed as buying opportunities — so long as the delays don't turn into order cancellations.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Wisconsin joins 14 other states, including Minnesota and Illinois, in creating a vaccine protocol that does not defer solely to federal health officials.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Buffett’s buy-and-hold approach not only compounds wealth but also defers taxes, allowing more capital to keep working year after year.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20up. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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