holdup
12
4.6
- noun
- /ˈhoʊldʌp/
- US
:
atraco
- - There's been a holdup at the bank.
Examples
-
Killed three people in a holdup.
-
I want to report a holdup.
-
All right, everybody, this is a holdup!
-
All right, this is a holdup.
-
Her sister was shot in a convenience store holdup two weeks ago.
Fiction book (2002) -
This afternoon, this neighborhood was terrorized by a bank holdup gone wrong.
-
He walked into a liquor store in the middle of a holdup.
-
At the time of the holdup, Mueller was in possession of a loaded .22 caliber pistol.
Fiction book (1998) -
"Is this a holdup?" He pointed to the cab, its taillights winking redly as it pulled back onto the highway.
Fiction book (1996) -
The bank was closed temporarily due to a recent holdup that left customers shaken.
Synonyms
749
2.3
Stealing things from people and places such as shops and banks using force or threats
98
6.9
A planned theft of valuable things from a building like a bank
78
3.2
Stealing from a person or place while using a weapon, usually a gun
15
5.4
A robbery using threats or a sudden delay
15
7.9
A robbery in which people are forced to give money, often with a gun
Compounds
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word holdup also comes from hold + up, meaning to 'keep someone in place by force'; a helpful way to remember it is to imagine a robber shouting 'hold up' and making people raise their hands. So a holdup is a robbery where someone uses threats or violence.