holdover

American  

[hohld-oh-ver] / ˈhoʊldˌoʊ vər /

noun

1. a person or thing remaining from a former period.

2. Printing. overset that can be kept for future use.

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Etymology

Origin of holdover

1885–1890, noun use of verb phrase hold over

Explanation

A holdover is something that has stuck around for a long time. A law that forbids women from wearing patent leather shoes in public is a holdover from a very different era. The noun holdover comes up often in politics. A member of a former president's cabinet who keeps her job even after a new president is elected may be referred to as a holdover from the previous administration. A gym teacher's habit of barking out instructions to his elementary school students might be a holdover from his army days.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

holdover

In that case, you will likely find yourself traveling to or from the concourse on a wretched holdover of mid-century transportation design: the people mover.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

Incoming presidents therefore inherit holdover commissioners, nominating new members for Senate consideration as vacancies emerge.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

Instead it’s a holdover from a bygone era of the gold standard, fixed exchange rates and periodic panics about global liquidity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

On Monday afternoon, sporadic vuvuzela toots and car horns could still be heard downtown, although unclear whether a holdover from the prior night's celebrations or in anticipation of the team's forthcoming arrival.

From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026

Descartes was a late holdover, a victim of his success in marrying algebra to geometry.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife