variants
or hold-up
plural holdups or hold-ups
1
: delay
There was a holdup with my order.
What's the holdup? [=what is the reason for the delay?]
2
: a robbery carried out at gunpoint
held up; holding up; holds up
1
: to rob at gunpoint
3
: to call attention to : single out
his work was held up to ridicule
hold this up as perfection—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
: to continue in the same condition without failing or losing effectiveness or force
she's holding up under the strain
music that holds up twenty years later
Synonyms
Examples of holdup in a Sentence
Noun
There have been a series of holdups at local banks.
a holdup in construction due to the weather
Verb
held up mail delivery until we had a permanent address
traffic was held up for miles by the accident
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
The arrival of Lana itself was delayed by a few hours, for which Punch claimed responsibility without sharing any specific details about what caused the holdup.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2024
Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2025
The coach said his players weren’t holding up against counterparts who embraced a more physical style.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for holdup 
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Noun
That the holdup in the case was the statute of limitations fits into a growing pattern within the legal landscape.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
The arrival of Lana itself was delayed by a few hours, for which Punch claimed responsibility without sharing any specific details about what caused the holdup.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
Mainland Chinese stocks held up better, falling 6% — which Citi analysts attributed to easier monetary policy and falling Chinese government bond yields.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2025
The coach said his players weren’t holding up against counterparts who embraced a more physical style.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for holdup
Dictionary Entries Near holdup
Cite this Entry
“Holdup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holdup. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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