holdup

[hohld-uhp]

noun

1. a forcible stopping and robbing of a person.

2. a stop or delay in the progress of something.

   There was a holdup in the construction of the bridge.

3. an instance of being charged excessively.

Word History and Origins

Origin of holdup¹

1830–40, noun use of verb phrase hold up

Example Sentences

The report attributed the limbo to a variety of possible factors including indecision over whether to stay or go, holdups with insurance and financial instability.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Still, during several holdups, he has fired his semiautomatic handgun into a wall “to show people he means business,” and he once shot a telephone to prevent employees from calling police, Van Winkle said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Democrats could consent to some reforms on the health insurance subsidies—the issue at the heart of their holdup—while Republicans could commit to extending that healthcare funding.

Read more on Barron's

Gunmen have conducted holdups around the mines, blocking fuel supplies and preventing local workers from reaching the mines, these people say.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But he also acknowledged such holdups arise because new wind and solar farms will need more transmission lines to carry their output.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• burglary 
• mugging 
• robbery 
• theft 

When To Use

What does holdup mean?

A holdup is a delay or something that causes a delay.It’s frequently used in the phrase What’s the holdup?—meaning “What’s the cause of the delay?”Holdup can also refer to a kind of robbery, typically in which the robber takes a person’s money by stopping them and threatening them with a weapon, especially a gun. In this sense, a holdup is also called a stickup.In both cases, the word is sometimes spelled hold-up.The phrase hold up can be used as a verb meaning to delay, to cause a delay, or to rob someone in a holdup. (It also has several other meanings.)Example: I asked him what the holdup was, and he told me that he was waiting for the designer to deliver the images.