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.
“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
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
Is the holdout juror a person of—a black man?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Throughout the interview, the three women said the jury was in nearly unanimous agreement to enter their verdict but the holdout juror would not change his mind.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Here and there a Luddite holdout refuses to open an email account, just as thousands of years ago some human bands refused to take up farming and so escaped the luxury trap.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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