Hold up

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1. Definition + Rich Everyday Explanation

Hold up (phrasal verb / noun) = to delay or stop progress, to remain strong or valid, to raise something, to rob using threats, or (as an interjection) to ask someone to wait.

“Hold up” is one of the most versatile phrasal verbs in English, with several distinct meanings that all share the core idea of stopping, supporting, or lifting something.

First, and extremely common, “hold up” means to delay or slow down. Traffic gets held up. Projects get held up. People get held up at work. When something holds you up, it prevents you from moving forward as planned. As a noun, “a hold-up” refers to the delay itself — “Sorry I’m late, there was a hold-up on the motorway.“

Second, “hold up” means to remain strong, valid, or functional under pressure or over time. An argument can hold up under scrutiny. A building can hold up during an earthquake. A person can hold up despite stress. This meaning suggests endurance and resilience.

Third, “hold up” means to physically raise something. You hold up your hand to ask a question. You hold up a sign at a protest. You hold up a photo for someone to see.

Fourth, “a hold-up” refers to an armed robbery — when criminals force people to hand over money, usually with weapons. “This is a hold-up!” is the classic line from countless films.

Finally, as an interjection, “hold up!” means wait a moment — used when you need someone to pause because something’s wrong or you need to process information.

Examples from the street:

• “Sorry I’m late — I got held up at the office” → I was delayed because of work
• “Hold up — did you just say you’re moving to Japan?” → wait a second, I need to process what you just told me
• “The old bridge is still holding up despite the storms” → the structure remains strong even after bad weather

2. Most Common Patterns

• get held up (by something) → be delayed by an obstacle or situation
• hold up + object → raise something physically
• hold up (under pressure / over time) → remain strong, valid, or functional
• a hold-up → a delay, or an armed robbery
• hold up! (interjection) → wait, stop, pause a moment
• hold someone/something up as + noun → present as an example or model

3. Phrasal Verbs

“Hold up” is itself a phrasal verb — here are related expressions with “hold”:

• hold on → wait, or grip tightlyExample: “Hold on a second — I need to grab my keys.”
• hold off → delay doing something, or keep something at a distanceExample: “Let’s hold off on making a decision until we have more information.”
• hold back → restrain yourself, or prevent progressExample: “She held back tears during the emotional speech.”

4. Example Sentences

1. I got held up in traffic, so I missed the beginning of the meeting→ I was delayed on the road and arrived after the meeting had started.
2. Hold up — are you telling me you’ve never seen Star Wars?→ Wait a moment, I can’t believe what you just said about never watching that film.
3. She held up the photograph so everyone in the room could see it→ She raised the picture for the whole group to view.
4. How are you holding up after everything that’s happened?→ How are you managing emotionally given all the difficult things you’ve been through?
5. His alibi didn’t hold up when police checked the CCTV footage→ His story fell apart once investigators looked at the camera recordings.
6. There was a hold-up at the bank this morning — armed robbers took thousands→ Criminals with weapons robbed the bank earlier today.
7. What’s the hold-up? We were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago→ What’s causing this delay? We should have departed already.
8. The research holds up even after being challenged by critics→ The study remains valid despite attempts to disprove it.
9. Teachers often hold up successful students as examples for others to follow→ Educators present high achievers as role models for their classmates.
10. The old laptop is still holding up surprisingly well after all these years→ The aged computer continues to function better than expected despite its age.

5. Personal Examples

1. When students ask “how do you hold up a conversation in English?”, I remind them that listening is just as important as speaking→ When learners want to know how to maintain discussions, I emphasise that paying attention matters as much as talking.
2. Grammar rules learned properly hold up across different contexts — that’s why understanding beats memorising→ Language structures grasped thoroughly remain valid in various situations, which is why comprehension works better than rote learning.

6. Register: Casual to Neutral

✔ Native usage tips

• “Sorry, got held up” = the universal excuse for being late — works for traffic, work, or any unexpected delay
• “Hold up!” = the interjection when someone drops surprising information and you need a moment
• “What’s the hold-up?” = the slightly impatient question when waiting for something that should have happened already
• “How are you holding up?” = the caring way to check on someone going through a difficult time
• Texting: “hold up lemme check” = casual way to say wait while you look something up
• Crime dramas: “This is a hold-up!” = the classic robbery announcement line everyone recognises
• Arguments: “That theory doesn’t hold up” = polite way to say someone’s logic is flawed
• Tech context: “My old phone is still holding up” = bragging that your device outlasted expectations
• Group chats: “hold up hold up hold up” = typed rapidly when you need everyone to stop and pay attention

✔ Similar expressions / words

• Delay → more formal word for being held up; lacks the casual versatility of the phrasal verb
• Wait → simpler command than “hold up”; less dramatic and attention-grabbing
• Withstand → formal alternative to “hold up” in the sense of remaining strong; used in technical contexts