hold out

verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hold-out" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hold out” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To hold (something) out; to extend (something) forward.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hold-out · hold out · English

hold out · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for hold out
PropertyValue
Headwordhold out
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hold out” in English

hold outfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hold out is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for hold out in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From hold and out. The correct English form is hold out, spelled H-O-L-D- -O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hold (something) out; to extend (something) forward.
  2. 2
    To offer, present (a hope, possibility, opportunity etc.)
  3. 3
    To wait, or refuse in hopes of getting something better (from a negotiation, etc.)
  4. 4
    To survive, endure.
  5. 5
    To withhold something.
  6. 6
    To set aside something or save it for later.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hold out appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He held out his hand, and I grabbed it.
  2. I held out my hand, and the horrible, soft-spoken, eyeless creature gripped it in a moment like a vise. I was so much startled that I struggled to withdraw; but the blind man pulled me close up to him with a single action of his arm.

Etymology

From hold and out.

This word in other languages

extender(Español)attendre(Français)abwarten(Deutsch)esperar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hold out"?
"hold out" is spelled H-O-L-D- -O-U-T.
What does "hold out" mean?
As a verb, "hold out" means: To hold (something) out; to extend (something) forward.
What is the origin of the word "hold out"?
From hold and out. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list