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

Maguire said she planned to hold out until all her work could be marked properly - whenever that was.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Estimates of Iran’s onshore capacity range widely from 57% to 90% full, meaning Tehran could hit the wall in days—or hold out for weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

According to a RetailMeNot survey, 66% of Americans said they were at least somewhat likely to hold out until Memorial Day to make a purchase they’ve been eyeing.

From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026

As nice as Intel’s rise has been for those who’ve held it for a while, the current volatility isn’t surprising as people weigh whether to hold out for bigger gains or take more profits now.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

The question was: Could the Allies hold out until the Americans arrived in force?

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• hold on
• withstand