hold out
hold out (phrasal verb)
/hoʊld aʊt/
Meanings
- To resist or refuse to give in.
- To endure or survive through difficulty.
- To refuse an offer while waiting for better terms.
- To extend something forward, like a hand or object.
- To offer or present something.
- To give hope or possibility.
Synonyms: resist; endure; withstand; survive; extend; offer; present.
Example Sentences
- The small town managed to hold out against the enemy until help arrived.
- She wondered if her strength would hold out through the long illness.
- He chose to hold out for a higher price instead of selling quickly.
- The beggar held out his hand, asking for food.
- She held out the documents for him to sign.
- The new treatment doesn’t hold out much hope for a complete cure.
Origin and History
Scholars agree that “hold out” comes from the productive combination of verb + particle within the Germanic family of languages. Originally, it carried the literal meaning “to extend forth” or “to stretch outward.” From this base, it quickly broadened into figurative uses: offering, resisting, enduring, or surviving. In the Early Modern period, English writers applied the phrase in both literal and metaphorical contexts, which indicates that the idiom’s growth was internal to English, rather than borrowed from another language. Later centuries saw the phrase expand into compound and noun forms, such as “hold-out,” but these came much later than the verbal uses.
Germanic Linguistic Roots
The structure of “hold out” reflects its deep linguistic ancestry. The verb “hold” derives from Old English healdan/haldan, while the particle “out” comes from Old English ūt. English, like other Germanic languages, often combined verbs with directional particles to form separable constructions. This system provided fertile ground for the creation of “hold out,” which retained its literal sense while branching into new figurative meanings over time.
Country of First Appearance
The earliest records of “hold out” are found in English texts produced in England. All secure printed examples point to late sixteenth-century English works, which establishes England as the country where the phrase first appeared in written form. Its spread in print during this period reflects the creativity and productivity of phrasal verbs in Early Modern English.
Expansion in Literature
By the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, “hold out” had spread into English plays, pamphlets, and prose. It appeared in Elizabethan drama, where it was used both to mean “to offer” and “to last or endure.” Its presence in both popular and literary texts demonstrates how easily the idiom moved across registers, cementing its role in everyday and artistic English alike.
Later Developments
From the seventeenth century onward, “hold out” became firmly established with senses like “to endure” and “to resist.” By the nineteenth century, it also evolved into a noun, as in “hold-out,” often used in American English for someone who refuses terms, especially in sports or contract disputes. Over time, stable collocations arose, such as “hold out for” (meaning to insist or wait), “hold out against” (meaning to resist), and “hold out hope” (meaning to present hope).
Origin Summary
The history of “hold out” is one of natural linguistic development. Rooted in Germanic verb–particle structure, it first appeared in English during the late sixteenth century, quickly diversified into multiple senses, and eventually produced nominalized forms in the nineteenth century. From its literal sense of extension, it has grown into a versatile idiom expressing endurance, resistance, withholding, offering, and hope.
Variants
- hold out against
- hold out for
- hold out on
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