holdup
a forcible stopping and robbing of a person.
a stop or delay in the progress of something: There was a holdup in the construction of the bridge.
an instance of being charged excessively.
Origin of holdup
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use holdup in a sentence
Guys with a lot of muscle sometimes find it hard to hold up all that weight.
'American Ninja Warrior' May Crown Its First Female Winner Kacy Catanzaro | Rich Goldstein | September 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMeanwhile, Goostman is unable to hold up his end of the conversation.
The AI That Wasn’t: Why ‘Eugene Goostman’ Didn’t Pass the Turing Test | Elizabeth Lopatto | June 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut a criminal case has been hard to develop that would hold up in court.
Altaf Hussain Finally Arrested in London; Can His MQM Be Neutralized? | Bruce Riedel | June 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLetterman, however, was oblivious to this—which certainly seems to hold up based on his frazzled reaction in this clip.
In Honor of David Letterman’s Pending Retirement, Watch His Wildest Interviews (VIDEO) | Kevin Fallon | April 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf these results hold up—and they may very well—then we will have learned something very important about the early cosmos.
The Big Buzz in Space News Is Something Called “Inflation.” What Exactly Is It? | Matthew R. Francis | March 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Now let me hold up my Head a little, and then we shall see how far the Features hit me!
A Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope | Colley CibberHad put on her Sunday gown, and had nothing to do now but hold up her head high, and sup her soup out of a silver spoon.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieIll never be able to hold up my head again if its not liked, Jess pursued.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. MorrisonToward that pedal that sounded the hold-up alarm, flashing it right to local police headquarters.
The kind they turn off the assembly line to hold up the fronts of pool parlors.
British Dictionary definitions for hold-up
a robbery, esp an armed one
a delay; stoppage
US an excessive charge; extortion
(usually plural) a stocking that is held up by an elasticated top without suspenders
(tr) to delay; hinder: we were held up by traffic
(tr) to keep from falling; support
(tr) to stop forcibly or waylay in order to rob, esp using a weapon
(tr) to exhibit or present: he held up his achievements for our admiration
(intr) to survive or last: how are your shoes holding up?
bridge to refrain from playing a high card, so delaying the establishment of (a suit)
hold up one's hands to confess a mistake or misdeed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with holdup
Offer or present as an example, as in The teacher held Bernie's essay up as a model for the class to follow. [c. 1600]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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