hold out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to offer or present

2. (intr) to last or endure

3. (intr) to continue to resist or stand firm, as a city under siege or a person refusing to succumb to persuasion

4. to withhold (something due or expected)

5. to wait patiently or uncompromisingly for (the fulfilment of one's demands)

6. informal to delay in or keep from telling (a person) some new or important information

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noun

1. a person, country, organization, etc, that continues to resist or refuses to change

   Honecker was one of the staunchest holdouts against reform

2. a person, country, organization, etc, that declines to cooperate or participate

   they remain the only holdouts to signing the accord

hold out Idioms  

1. 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.

2. Last, continue to be in supply or service, as in The food is holding out nicely . [Late 1500s] Also see hold up , def. 4.

3. Continue to resist, as in The garrison held out for another month . [Second half of 1700s]

4. 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 .

5. hold out for . Insist on obtaining, as in The union is still holding out for a better contract . [c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hold out

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

Canada’s willingness to hold out for a better deal could work, they say, given how intertwined the two economies are.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

French President Emmanuel Macron, on a visit late Monday to a crisis centre in Bordeaux, that is threatened by a giant wildfire, said: "The coming weeks will be tough and we have to hold out."

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

I grab it, heading back to the doorway, and hold out the paper to her.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• hold on
• withstand