to hold out
89
3.5
- phrasal verb
- /hoʊld aʊt/
:
extender
- I could hold out my arms Say, "I love you this much"
- held out a hand
- held out the left hand
So I went and she told me to hold out my hands like this.
- So I went and she told me to hold out my hands like this.
- And when I was done taking a picture, I would hold out my, my black gloved hand and I would give them a gold coin.
- I'm driving home and I meet her as she's leaving and I hold out the window lays sour cream and cheddar chips.
- You said you'd already looked yourself up then you already know when you'll you know she's holding out her my envelope to me.
Examples
-
So I went and she told me to hold out my hands like this.
-
He held out a hand for the younger man.
-
No, this is if you hold out your hand and one hand flat.
-
Then you hold your other hand out like this.
-
Could you hold your hands out for me, please?
-
"Here, these are for you," he says to me, holding out the bag.
Fiction book (1990) -
Hold out your hands to me.
-
"Thank God for all of you," he said as he held out a hand for Bev.
Fiction book (1990) -
Hold out your hand.
-
I held out my hand to help her across the street.
Synonyms
265
2.7
To reach out with your body or make something longer
185
1.5
Move part of your body to full length to make muscles less tight
73
2.7
To stretch a hand toward something to touch it
61
3.2
To extend beyond a surface or edge
20
3.4
Move part of your body, for example your arm, to reach or see something
18
3.4
Hold a part of your body away from you, like a hand
16
3.5
To stick out from something like a wall or table
15
2.9
Coming out past a surface so it can be seen
13
6.7
To turn something outward, especially fingers or toes
9
3.9
To make something reach forward, like an arm or wing
4
3.2
To turn a body part outward from the middle
1
6.1
To reach out a hand or arm toward something to offer help
To stick out from something
Antonyms
How Far
31
5.8
265
2.7
20
3.4
89
3.5
73
2.7
81
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to last' can be partly inferred from 'hold' (to remain/keep) with 'out' suggesting extension or continuation, so a learner who knows both words may guess a durability/continuation sense. However, the particle 'out' does not transparently encode duration and the phrasal verb has other senses (e.g. offer, resist), so the exact meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Hold out comes from the simple action of holding your hand or arm out to show or give something to someone. That's why it means 'to extend or stretch something forward'.