holdover
Americannoun
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a person or thing remaining from a former period.
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Printing. overset that can be kept for future use.
Etymology
Origin of holdover
1885–1890, noun use of verb phrase hold over
Explanation
A holdover is something that has stuck around for a long time. A law that forbids women from wearing patent leather shoes in public is a holdover from a very different era. The noun holdover comes up often in politics. A member of a former president's cabinet who keeps her job even after a new president is elected may be referred to as a holdover from the previous administration. A gym teacher's habit of barking out instructions to his elementary school students might be a holdover from his army days.
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.
Incoming presidents therefore inherit holdover commissioners, nominating new members for Senate consideration as vacancies emerge.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Palisades fire was a holdover from the Jan. 1 Lachman fire, which continued to smolder and burn underground until kicked up by heavy winds on Jan. 7.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
Some of that reputation for risk is a holdover from the financial crisis, when lending standards were significantly looser than now.
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
Miran can stay on as a holdover until a successor is confirmed, but that seat is spoken for—it is the vehicle for installing the new chair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
The entire process was a holdover from more primitive stages of development.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
