hold up
Endure under pressure
Hold up has two main clusters of meaning.
One involves support or delay: to hold something up is to keep it from falling, or to cause a delay Traffic held us up for an hour.
The other involves robbery at gunpoint—a holdup or stickup.
As an exclamation, Hold up! means wait or stop.
To hold up under pressure is to endure without breaking.
If something holds up, it remains valid or functional over time: Does the theory still hold up?
Organized large-scale theft
- stickupArmed robbery
- muggingRobbery with violence
- gunpointAimed weapon's end
- banditArmed roadside thief
armed · mask · carjacking · hijacking · ambush · cashier · convenience store · bank
Support or stage item
- braceDevice providing structural stability
- sustainKeep something going continuously
- bearLarge furry omnivore
- carryMove while supporting
buttress · shore · reinforce · bolster · pillar · scaffold · foundation · steady
Delay until later
- stallEnclosed compartment or delay
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- haltComplete sudden stop
- stopCease all motion
postpone · detain · hinder · impede · obstruct · slow · setback · bottleneck
heist
Organized large-scale theft
bandit · armed · mask · carjacking · hijacking · ambush · cashier · convenience store · bank · getaway
prop
Support or stage item
- braceDevice providing structural stability
- sustainKeep something going continuously
- bearLarge furry omnivore
carry · buttress · shore · reinforce · bolster · pillar · scaffold · foundation · steady · stabilize
wait
Delay until later
stop · postpone · detain · hinder · impede · obstruct · slow · setback · bottleneck · standstill
withstand
Remain intact despite pressure
weather · resilient · durable · sturdy · robust · tough · reliable · wear · test of time · prove
examine
Study with attention
withstand · valid · credible · check · verify · prove · test · sound · defensible · logical
- liftinglift, hoist, crane, elevate, raise
- phrasal verbslook at, put down, turn on, turn off, wait for
- sustain synonymssupport, maintain, preserve, continue, carry on
- Wait phraseshang on, just a sec, one moment, pause, stand by
- theftstealing, larceny, steal, burglary, robbery
- confusionconfusion, confused, bewilderment, perplexity, baffled
hold upspeed up
Increase velocity or rate
accelerate · expedite · hasten · rush · advance
hold upfall apart
Break into pieces
break down · collapse · fail · give way · crumble