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
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
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
But there are some potential holdups.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026
The long view The expectation of a lower enrollment trend holding up is one of the key factors likely to translate into higher cost estimates as insurers draw up 2027 rates.
—Julie Appleby, CBS News, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holdup
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The city comptroller has launched an investigation into City Hall’s handing of outdoor dining permits, raising concerns about procedural holdups that could be preventing hundreds of restaurants from opening up en plein air seating this spring.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
But there are some potential holdups.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Verb
The 400 square-metre basement ballroom, coloured in jade, can hold up to 350 people.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026
The long view The expectation of a lower enrollment trend holding up is one of the key factors likely to translate into higher cost estimates as insurers draw up 2027 rates.
—Julie Appleby, CBS News, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holdup
Cite this Entry
“Holdup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holdup. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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