holdout
Americannoun
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an act or instance of holding out.
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a person who delays signing a contract in hopes of gaining more favorable terms.
The basketball star was a holdout until they offered more money.
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a person who declines to participate, cooperate, agree, etc..
Aside from one or two holdouts, everyone contributed.
Etymology
Origin of holdout
First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase hold out
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.
In some of the most fiery moments of the three-hour hearing on Monday, Reddington requested a plethora of evidence including the holdout juror's phone and phone records.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
“As someone who has been in indie publishing culture since the ’90s, Catapult was a holdout of an old world,” Frangello said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
And I want to talk to the holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Eleven jurors were in favor of finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity, but they were opposed by a single holdout who has spoken publicly about being sure of her guilt.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
The lone holdout on the commission was Henry DeWolf Smyth, who had telegraphed his distaste for the inquiry to Ernest Lawrence at Oak Ridge.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
