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hold-up
noun
a robbery, esp an armed one
a delay; stoppage
an excessive charge; extortion
(usually plural) a stocking that is held up by an elasticated top without suspenders
verb
(tr) to delay; hinder
we were held up by traffic
(tr) to keep from falling; support
(tr) to stop forcibly or waylay in order to rob, esp using a weapon
(tr) to exhibit or present
he held up his achievements for our admiration
(intr) to survive or last
how are your shoes holding up?
bridge to refrain from playing a high card, so delaying the establishment of (a suit)
to confess a mistake or misdeed
Idioms and Phrases
Offer or present as an example, as in The teacher held Bernie's essay up as a model for the class to follow . [c. 1600]
Obstruct or delay, as in We were held up in traffic . [c. 1900]
Rob, as in He was held up in a dark alley, with no help nearby . This usage, which gave rise to the noun holdup for a robbery, alludes to the robbers' demand that the victims hold their hands high. [Late 1800s]
Also, hold out . Continue to function without losing force or effectiveness, endure. For example, We held up through that long bitter winter , or The nurse was able to hold out until someone could relieve her . [Late 1500s]
See hold one's head high .
Example Sentences
“Support your local ICE raid,” read a sign held up by a teenage boy, which also used an epithet to describe how people should treat “foreign friends.”
A man road a bicycle along 14th Street near the Washington Monument holding up a large sign calling the president a “creep” and “unfit” — among other things.
Breyer, who had donned a light blue bowtie, invoked the Constitution multiple times during the hearing, holding up a booklet copy of the document at one point.
Hundreds of people were cheering from the sidelines and holding up signs with statements like “You run better than our government,” “Hot girls run half marathons” and “Hurry up so we can drink.”
There’s a Stories of Surrender EP with three of the reconstructed numbers, but out in the wild on their own, they don’t hold up quite as well without the scaffolding of the show.
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