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holdup
[ hohld-uhp ]
noun
- 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.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of holdup1
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Example Sentences
It’s possible that supply chain holdups are forcing factories and construction sites to slow down or even shut down for awhile.
The holdup is more likely to be the manufacturing and distribution of the retooled vaccines, Offit said.
As Edward notes, there were holdups for Pfizer and Moderna on the manufacturing side, but they were not insurmountable — more like the kind of problems you face when you try to do something groundbreaking on a massive scale.
It’s increasingly looking as though Senate Republicans are the holdup to a coronavirus stimulus bill before the election.
Barring any holdups, Brazilian authorities said on Monday that they will aim to approve CoronaVac before the end of 2020 and begin distributing the vaccine to the public by the start of next year.
In the meantime, he should just accept that the holdup has nothing to do with his politics.
As they fled the scene of their holdup, the terrified taxi driver took them to Place de la Nation in the eastern part of Paris.
Jacobs sites sample production delays as the culprit for his unforeseen holdup.
Vrondran says that the holdup apparently surrounds BP's approval of the $200 per day pay for the deckhands.
Next morning at daylight they found the body of Checkers lying beside the fatal red car not far from the scene of the holdup.
According to her the police stood in with Bulldog Carney on a train holdup, and made this poor innocent lamb the goat.
"If I land there you can ask for a damfool—and I'll answer the first time," laughed the holdup over his shoulder.
A car of the same make, model and color was stolen from Annapolis, Maryland, a short time prior to the holdup.
That's Jake Betts, holdup and bad man, that's been callin' himself Dade around here.
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More About Holdup
What does holdup mean?
A holdup is a delay or something that causes a delay.
It’s frequently used in the phrase What’s the holdup?—meaning “What’s the cause of the delay?”
Holdup can also refer to a kind of robbery, typically in which the robber takes a person’s money by stopping them and threatening them with a weapon, especially a gun. In this sense, a holdup is also called a stickup.
In both cases, the word is sometimes spelled hold-up.
The phrase hold up can be used as a verb meaning to delay, to cause a delay, or to rob someone in a holdup. (It also has several other meanings.)
Example: I asked him what the holdup was, and he told me that he was waiting for the designer to deliver the images.
Where does holdup come from?
The first records of holdup come from the 1800s in the United States, where it is primarily used. Both senses of holdup are based on the phrasal verb hold up. When it refers to a robbery, holdup is a reference to the robber’s usual demand for the victim to hold their hands up. (The same thing is true for the very close synonym stickup).
The word holdup is typically applied to robberies in which the victim is an individual person on the street or a clerk at a retail store. Stickup is used in the same way, but it’s even more informal—it sounds more like something out of an old movie.
When holdup is used in the context of a delay, it can refer to the delay itself (as in A lack of drivers is causing a holdup in deliveries) or the thing causing the delay—the thing holding things up (as in We need to find out what the holdup is so we can eliminate it and prevent further delays).
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to holdup?
- hold-up (alternate spelling)
- holdups (plural)
What are some synonyms for holdup?
What are some words that share a root or word element with holdup?
What are some words that often get used in discussing holdup?
What are some words holdup may be commonly confused with?
How is holdup used in real life?
Holdup is usually used informally. When used in reference to a delay, it sometimes implies annoyance that there is a delay.
Yo @ sweater weather what's the holdup? Stuck in bad traffic or what???
-xoxo Phoenix— Savannah (@savkra) October 11, 2016
@hwlcx Equipment at BOS froze overnight causing a holdup for several flights including yours. We know the delays are frustrating.
— JetBlue (@JetBlue) February 14, 2016
"Come on! What's the holdup???"
(Me waiting at the end of the line during a bank robbery)
— Casey Duncan (@caseytduncan) May 24, 2015
Try using holdup!
Is holdup used correctly in the following sentence?
If you’re late submitting those documents, the holdup will make us miss our deadline.
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