verb
- Thrust or extend out.
- usage: "He held out his hand"; "point a finger"; "extend a hand"; "the bee exserted its sting"
- synonyms: exsert, stretch out, put out, extend, stretch forth
- Stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something.
- synonyms: resist, withstand, stand firm
- Last and be usable.
- usage: "This dress wore well for almost ten years"
- Wait uncompromisingly for something desirable.
- usage: "He held out for the dessert and did not touch the cheeses"
- Continue to live through hardship or adversity.
- usage: "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"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). hold out. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/hold_out/definitions/1285325 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "hold out" http://smartdefine.org/hold_out/definitions/1285325 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, hold out, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/hold_out/definitions/1285325>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "hold out" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/hold_out/definitions/1285325> |