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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of holding out
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 gap between those people and the 80% still holding out isn’t philosophical.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Even so, the Hall has kept holding out against Eighties/Nineties rock.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 15 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
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 gap between those people and the 80% still holding out isn’t philosophical.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Even so, the Hall has kept holding out against Eighties/Nineties rock.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 15 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
-
But even there, surviving economic momentum is “entirely thanks to exportsâ€� with domestic growth stagnant, an analyst told The Wall Street Journal.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Others are surviving on rental of parish parking lots or empty school facilities.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And this is clearly to get to a lasting peace.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
-
That experience left a lasting impression.—
Janelle Ash , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 1997, Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, filed a wrongful death suit against Orlando Anderson, based on the prevailing theory that Anderson opened fire because Tupac Shakur and figures affiliated with the Bloods had assaulted him in the MGM lobby earlier that day.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
While the prevailing theme for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2026 NFL Draft was infusing the defense with starting-caliber talent, their final seventh-round selection shouldn’t be overlooked.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 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
-
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 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
