hold up meaning

hold up as a verb

1. be the physical support of; carry the weight of
   • The beam holds up the roof
   • He supported me with one hand while I balanced on the beam
   • What's holding that mirror?

   Synonyms: hold, support, sustain

   Kinds: scaffold, block, carry, chock, buoy, pole, bracket, underpin, prop up, truss, brace

2. hold up something as an example; hold up one's achievements for admiration

   Type of: expose

3. cause to be slowed down or delayed
   • Traffic was delayed by the bad weather
   • she delayed the work that she didn't want to perform

   Synonyms: delay, detain

   Type of: decelerate

   Kinds: stonewall, catch, stall, buy time

   Related forms: holdup

4. rob at gunpoint or by means of some other threat

   Synonyms: stick up

   Type of: rob

   Kinds: mug

   Related forms: holdup

5. continue to live and avoid dying
   • We went without water and food for 3 days
   • These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America
   • The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents
   • how long can a person last without food and water?
   • One crash victim died, the other lived

   Synonyms: survive, last, live, live on, go, endure, hold out

   Kinds: stand up, perennate, live out

6. resist or confront with resistance
   • The politician defied public opinion
   • The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear
   • The bridge held

   Synonyms: defy, withstand, hold

   Type of: resist

   Kinds: weather

7. resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc.
   • Her shoes won't hold up
   • This theory won't hold water

   Synonyms: stand up, hold water

   Type of: survive

hold up in a sentence

• You must hold up your hands.
• Heaths can hold up pretty well in the heat.
• Don't hold up information from co-workers.
• Sandy had braces to hold up his trousers.
• These shoes won't hold up very long.

How to pronounce hold up

hold up is pronounced /həʊld ʌp/ in British English and /hoʊld ʌp/ in American English. It has 2 syllables.