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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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
Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The charges reportedly stem from Fontenette’s role in a violent robbery and assault of a Bulldog Express convenience store clerk in Nederland in October 2025, in which Fontenette and two others used a firearm to carry out the holdup.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 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 holdup on arresting Tyson is that the public defender originally assigned to Tyson also represents Jones.
—Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The charges reportedly stem from Fontenette’s role in a violent robbery and assault of a Bulldog Express convenience store clerk in Nederland in October 2025, in which Fontenette and two others used a firearm to carry out the holdup.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold up
Verb
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But Boston was postponed due to the pandemic and that June, Romond fell off a horse and landed hard on her feet, rupturing ACLs in both knees.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The weather postponed the second game of a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 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
-
But without Dosunmu, the prospect of surviving this first-round series that is worthy of a West Finals matchup would be nonexistent.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Baseball regional winners included Orangewood Christian, Deltona Trinity, and TFA, which scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th to survive.—
Steve Gorches,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks now move on and remain a contender in the Eastern Conference.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
He was ordered not to have contact with the victim or her family and to remain in Massachusetts under GPS monitoring.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By the final showdown, the production has made use of every bit of stage space, with sensational flying sequences (choreographed by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant) that allow the vampires to float, hover, and—in one especially intense moment—dive from that bridge.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Worst of all, like Zoolander 2 did before it, the film badly miscalculates the value of showbiz and industry cameos, which reach critical mass when the team members fly to Milan and, weirdly, only one of the latter (Donatella Versace, having an awkward lunch with Emily) seems to work.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
According to The Tennessean, trainers from both teams rushed out to assist Kennedy, and that caused a 15-minute delay in the game.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2026
-
Two batters into the top of the sixth, a sudden, aggressive rain began pouring down on Citizens Bank Park, prompting a brisk 24-minute delay.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
1 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 2 May. 2026.
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