hold\ out

hold\ out
v. phr.
1. To put forward; reach out; extend; offer.

Mr. Ryan held out his hand in welcome.

The clerk held out a dress for Martha to try on.

The Company held out many fine promises to Jack in order to get him to work for them.

2. To keep resisting; not yield; refuse to give up.

The city held out for six months under siege.

Compare: hang on, hold on
3. To refuse to agree or settle until one's wishes have been agreed to.

The strikers held out for a raise of five cents an hour.

4. slang
To keep something from; refuse information or belongings to which someone has a right.

Mr. Porters partner held out on him when the big payment came in.

Mother gave Bobby cookies for all the children in the yard, but he held out on them and ate the cookies himself.

John knew that the family would go to the beach Saturday, but he held out on his brother.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • hold out — ► hold out 1) resist difficult circumstances. 2) continue to be sufficient. Main Entry: ↑hold …   English terms dictionary

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  • hold|out — «HOHLD OWT», noun. Informal. 1. a person, group, or organization that refuses to accept terms, submit, or comply as with a trend or order: »Despite their reputation as long time holdouts against Government handouts, the nervous beef raisers are… …   Useful english dictionary

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  • hold out — phrasal verb Word forms hold out : present tense I/you/we/they hold out he/she/it holds out present participle holding out past tense held out past participle held out 1) [transitive] to hold something where someone else can reach it Gail held… …   English dictionary

  • hold out — verb 1. thrust or extend out (Freq. 5) He held out his hand point a finger extend a hand the bee exserted its sting • Syn: ↑exsert, ↑stretch out, ↑put out …   Useful english dictionary

  • Hold Out — Infobox Album | Name = Hold Out Type = Album Artist = Jackson Browne Released = June 24, 1980 Recorded = 1979 Genre = Rock Length = 37:48 Label = Asylum Producer = Jackson Browne, Greg Ladanyi Reviews = * Allmusic Rating|2|5… …   Wikipedia

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