holdout
Americannoun
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an act or instance of holding out.
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a person who delays signing a contract in hopes of gaining more favorable terms.
The basketball star was a holdout until they offered more money.
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a person who declines to participate, cooperate, agree, etc..
Aside from one or two holdouts, everyone contributed.
Etymology
Origin of holdout
First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase hold out
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Western Digital still has one holdout in Baptista Research, which has an Underweight rating on the stock.
From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026
But California, one of its core markets and the last state holdout to give approval, had concerns about how those changes would align with its own rules on issues including supplier diversity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
His holdout vote in the wake of 200-plus members of his party voting otherwise is not the first time he has taken an unorthodox stance.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2025
Then, he decided to skip practice, thus unofficially becoming college football’s first holdout.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025
The lone holdout on the commission was Henry DeWolf Smyth, who had telegraphed his distaste for the inquiry to Ernest Lawrence at Oak Ridge.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
