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

In a tense finale, the exhausted Robins somehow held out to become only the sixth English club to win the competition since it became a regular feature in 1987.

From BBC

“That Cincinnati chili took so long to make—chopping all those onions!—I totally forgot . . . you got some mail today, Jonah,” she said, holding out a white envelope.

From Literature

"I wouldn't push a consultant away and I didn't have a choice in how I responded. I was just standing there and did not have my arms held out towards him," she said.

From BBC

Talk about a dilemma: Take a lower amount now, or hold out for more in a few years and risk having it cut.

From MarketWatch

"Whereas France once prided itself on having the best healthcare system in the world, today public hospitals are forced to hold out their hand to survive," the union said last year.

From Barron's

Related Words

• hold on
• withstand