A Holdup Is Named After the Command
A holdup is an armed robbery, or a delay. The robbery sense comes from the order to raise your hands.
A holdup is an armed robbery, and also a delay. The robbery sense is named from the instruction: *hold up your hands*, which put the victim's hands where they could be seen and away from any weapon. The delay sense comes from the other meaning of holding something up — stopping its progress.
- An armed robbery. *A bank holdup.*
- A delay. *A holdup on the motorway.*
- Hold up — to rob, or to delay. *Held up at gunpoint.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | holdup | A brief holdup. |
| Plural | holdups | Traffic holdups. |
| Phrasal verb | hold up | Hold up the queue. |
| Past | held up | We were held up. |
| Related | robbery | An armed robbery. |
How it is used in a sentence
- What is the holdup?Delay.
- The bank holdup lasted minutes.Robbery.
- Hold up also means to endure.How is she holding up?
Senses of *hold up*
- Rob — at gunpoint
- Delay — stop progress
- Support — hold up a shelf
- Endure — cope under strain
- Withstand scrutiny — the theory holds up
From the phrasal verb *hold up*, from *hold*, Old English *healdan*. The robbery sense is American, from the mid nineteenth century.
Why hold up your hands?
To keep them visible and away from a weapon. The command named the crime.
Holdup or hold-up?
Both spellings appear. The unhyphenated noun is now more common, following the general trend in English compounds.