holdout
Americannoun
-
an act or instance of holding out.
-
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.
-
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.
Another juror, who does work for a government defence contractor, said the holdout juror had questions about what medication Clancy was on.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Like nearly everyone I grew up around in this corner of Pennsylvania, Sundays in our house were a congregation in green, and I was the lone holdout in the pew, quietly pulling for New England.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
One juror was the holdout, refusing to vote for acquittal.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
Reddington urged the judge to dismiss one holdout juror who he said appeared to be blocking the other 11 from reaching a verdict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 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
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.
