holder
Americannoun
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something that holds or secures.
a pencil holder.
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a person who has the ownership, possession, or use of something; owner; tenant.
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Law. a person who has the legal right to enforce a negotiable instrument.
noun
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a person or thing that holds
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a person, such as an owner, who has possession or control of something
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( in combination )
householder
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law a person who has possession of a bill of exchange, cheque, or promissory note that he is legally entitled to enforce
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of holder
First recorded in 1300–50, holder is from the Middle English word haldere. See hold 1, -er 1
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.
Holder, subordinates text and history to state prerogatives.
From Slate • May 5, 2026
Justice Thomas’s brief concurrence repeated his views in Holder v.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
James Holder, 54, went back to the woman's home after a night out in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in 2022 and then fell asleep on her bed.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
“That cannot be right,” Livingston Holder, a former manned spaceflight engineer with the Air Force and space shuttle payload specialist, recalled thinking when he first heard that fact.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
“If the Bureau can get to the Key Holder first, then maybe we can spring a trap for Moreau’s apprentice. This could be how we get Quinton and Maria back.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
