holdup
Americannoun
-
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.
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of holdup
1830–40, noun use of verb phrase hold up
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.
See Examples For:
Measurement is a key holdup for some big brands because returns on creator campaigns can’t be quantified as easily as for traditional TV commercials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
But every year, thousands of refunds are held up, and the IRS isn’t required to process them within a certain period or provide information to taxpayers on what is responsible for the holdup.
From Barron's ● Mar. 28, 2026
He would not say when the report is expected to be released or what the holdup is about.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
“He didn’t know what the holdup was in getting back to them on which university could be sued.”
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025
The director climbed out of her tall canvas chair and came over to see what the holdup was.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Another country where passengers have reported holdups due to EES is Portugal.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Boston indicted 10 Indian nationals for allegedly staging convenience-store holdups in Massachusetts and elsewhere to secure U visas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Those officials blamed most of the holdups on the humanitarian groups for not having enough capacity to get food and medicine in.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2024
Hungarian officials have said repeatedly that their country will not be the last member to endorse Sweden’s bid, but Ankara’s move toward ratification suggests that the time for further holdups may be running out.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
He was not the kind of man that the sluggers and holdups of the place practiced upon, sober and straight as he always had been.
From Claim Number One by Ogden, George W. (George Washington)
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.
