Dictionary

holdout en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈhoʊldˌaʊt/ (General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Deverbal from hold out.

Meanings

1. One who refuses to give consent to an agreement in the hope of an improved offer; one who holds out; one who clings to a cause that has been mostly abandoned.
   • If Facebook chooses to remain a holdout, it will not be as the head of a countercoalition but as a cranky recluse. 2007 November 4, Randall Stross, “Why Google Turned Into a Social Butterfly”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 28 Jun 2019:
   • One of Otto’s first moves after Viserys’ death is to make the lords and ladies of the Red Keep bend the knee to Aegon. The two holdouts are swiftly carted away by the guards, while the third, Rhaenyra’s faithful Lord Caswell (Paul Hickey), reluctantly kneels. 2022 October 16, Jenna Scherer, “An enticing House Of The Dragon crowns Westeros' new ruler”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 20 Jul 2024:
2. A device for cheating at card games by covertly holding a card out of play until it is wanted.
   • He is probably working a vest or sleeve hold-out. Some clumsy or audacious sharpers will go so far as to hold out cards in their lap, or stick them in a "bug" under the table. 1897, Robert Frederick Foster, Foster's Complete Hoyle, page 195:

Forms

Relateds

holdover · nail house