as in to survive
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
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Recent Examples of hold out
Redick said Thiero was held out for precautionary reasons after his knee didn’t react well to playing in a G League game then playing in Detroit two days later.
—
Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 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
During this 15-game stretch, Powell was held out of seven straight games due to a right groin strain and also missed one game with left calf tightness.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
The Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an airstrike launched at Israel, denoting their entry into the Iran war following weeks of holding out on attacks.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 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
During this 15-game stretch, Powell was held out of seven straight games due to a right groin strain and also missed one game with left calf tightness.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
The Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an airstrike launched at Israel, denoting their entry into the Iran war following weeks of holding out on attacks.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold out
Verb
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Far too many people are struggling to, to survive and certainly can't thrive paycheck to paycheck in this country, which should not be happening in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.—
Ford McCracken,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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He is survived by his mother, Jarica WIlliams, his siblings — Grayson, Kaiden, and Zalayah — and a number of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great grandparents.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The mission, expected to last about 10 days, is a critical demonstration that NASA's Orion crew capsule can handle a lunar mission with humans aboard before a landing is attempted as early as 2028.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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The family estimates the attack lasted between eight and 10 minutes.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Utah is at the heart of what’s been called the Sagebrush Rebellion, which rose during the Reagan era to challenge the prevailing management of federal lands, and, indeed, the entire idea of federal lands.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
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Taken together, these insights helped scientists arrive at the current prevailing theory that a Mars-size object smashed into Earth, ejecting a blob of molten material from our planet that became the moon.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hold out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20out. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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