hold up
phrasal verbhold up
- to remain strong and working effectively
- She's holding up well under the pressure.
hold somebody/something up [often passive]
- to support somebody/something and stop them from falling
- to delay or block the movement or progress of somebody/something
- An accident is holding up traffic.
- The project was held up by various legal problems.
- to use or present somebody/something as an example
- She's always holding up her children as models of good behaviour.
- His ideas were held up to ridicule.
hold up something
- to steal from a bank, shop, etc. using a gun
- Masked men held up a security van in South London yesterday.