hold out
Britishverb
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(tr) to offer or present
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(intr) to last or endure
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(intr) to continue to resist or stand firm, as a city under siege or a person refusing to succumb to persuasion
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to withhold (something due or expected)
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to wait patiently or uncompromisingly for (the fulfilment of one's demands)
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informal to delay in or keep from telling (a person) some new or important information
noun
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a person, country, organization, etc, that continues to resist or refuses to change
Honecker was one of the staunchest holdouts against reform
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a person, country, organization, etc, that declines to cooperate or participate
they remain the only holdouts to signing the accord
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Extend, stretch forth; also, present or offer something. For example, He held out his hand and she took it , or The new policy held out promise of major changes in the welfare program . These usages date from the first half of the 1500s and of the 1600s respectively.
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Last, continue to be in supply or service, as in The food is holding out nicely . [Late 1500s] Also see hold up , def. 4.
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Continue to resist, as in The garrison held out for another month . [Second half of 1700s]
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Withhold cooperation, agreement, or information, as in We've asked for a better deal, but they've been holding out for months . It is also put as hold out on , as in They were still holding out on some of the provisions , or He's not telling us what happened; he's holding out on us .
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hold out for . Insist on obtaining, as in The union is still holding out for a better contract . [c. 1900]
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.
For the Dodgers, the worst tickets seldom fall to market rate, because the team would rather live with a few empty seats rather than condition fans to hold out for a lower price.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
They are implementing rationing and diverting resources from investments to hold out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
And as landslides sever access roads and supplies dwindle in several parts of the island, there are growing concerns about how much longer survivors can hold out.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Yet many drivers can’t afford to hold out, because they need wheels for work and life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
I hated to think of that train to Colorado leaving the station without me, butI didn’t hold out a lot of hope.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
