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Glite Dictionary
🕵️ To use as threat ⏳ To postpone
to hold over

to hold over

5 4.6
To keep something for use or sale after its planned time
  • phrasal verb
  • /hoʊld ˈoʊvər/
: posponer
  • The meeting was held over to next week due to scheduling conflicts.
  • held over the weekend
  • held over two days

And I think that that principle has not held over the past four years.

Examples

  • And I think that that principle has not held over the past four years.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • It was raining, and he flourished a big black umbrella to hold over me.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Just as in 2010 and 2011, I'm going to be physically attending the Metameets 2012 conference, which this year is being held over Friday, November 30th, and Saturday, December 1st, at 's-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands.

    Blog text (17)

  • The concert was held over for an additional night because of popular demand.

  • The project deadline was held over until further notice, allowing for more time to complete the work.

Synonyms

to postpone
vsto hold over
214 3.4

To delay something until a later time because of a problem

also covers extending something past its planned time rather than just delay
to put off
vsto hold over
129 2.9

Delay something until a later time

includes delaying but also implies continuing beyond the original period
to defer
vsto hold over
  • Formal
68 5.5

To delay something until a later time

adds the sense of keeping something going beyond its scheduled end
to hold off on
vsto hold over
41 4.2

To wait before doing something

is broader, covering both waiting and making something last longer
to carry over
vsto hold over
25 3.5

To move something from one time or situation to a later one

focuses on extending or continuing beyond the original end time
to table
vsto hold over
  • Formal
20 7.3

To delay discussion or a decision about something until later

can mean delaying but also means carrying something on past its end
to shelve
vsto hold over
14 5.0

To stop work on a plan or project for now

focuses more on extension or continuation beyond original time rather than abandonment
to keep on ice
vsto hold over
2 7.9

To delay something and keep it for later use

is more about continuing or extending time rather than storing for later
to prorogue
vsto hold over
  • UK
1 9.9

To end or delay a session of parliament without breaking it up

is general, applying to postponing or extending many kinds of things

Antonyms

to cancel
742 1.0

To decide that a planned event will not happen

to terminate
151 4.6

To make something stop or finish

How Extended

to prolong
76 3.9
to extend
520 3.2
to hold over
5 4.6
to postpone
214 3.4
to carry over
25 3.5

Surface Forms

hold over infinitive
holding over present participle
holds over third person singular
held over past
held over past participle

Morphology

hold + over

The literal meanings of 'hold' (to grasp/keep) and 'over' (above or against) provide a metaphorical image of keeping something over someone, so learners can partly infer a sense of control or leverage. However, the specific pragmatic meaning 'to use a threat or information to intimidate' is an extended, idiomatic use that typically requires exposure to be fully understood, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Hold over comes from the image of hold and over: keeping something for the next time, like a shop that keeps unsold coats until the next season. So it means 'to postpone' or 'to continue' something beyond its original time.