holdup
/'houldʌp/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A delay or instance of being stopped: An interruption or period of waiting that causes something to be slower or later than planned.
- A robbery, especially at gunpoint: The act of using threats or force to steal from someone, typically in a public place like a bank or store.
Usage and Examples
- Noun (Delay):
- The traffic holdup made me late for the meeting.
- There was a holdup in production due to a missing part.
- Noun (Robbery):
- The bank holdup was over in minutes.
- He was a witness to the holdup at the convenience store.
Advanced Usage
- "to be a holdup": to cause a delay.
- The accident on the bridge is a major holdup for commuters.
- "holdup man": a person who commits a robbery, especially with a weapon. (Note: This is a compound term listed separately as a variant).
- The holdup man escaped with the cash.
Variants and Related Words
- Hold up (phrasal verb): To delay someone or something; to remain strong or in good condition; to rob someone using force or threats.
- Bad weather held up the flight. (caused delay)
- This old car has held up well. (remained in good condition)
- Masked men held up the bank. (robbed)
- Holdup man (n): A robber.
- Holdup artist (n): A skilled or habitual robber.
Synonyms
- Delay (n): A situation that causes something to be late or slow.
- Robbery (n): The crime of stealing from a person or place by using force or threats.
Related Phrases and Phrasal Verbs
- Hold up (as a phrasal verb):
- To delay: Construction is holding up traffic.
- To remain strong/valid: His argument doesn't hold up under scrutiny.
- To rob: They tried to hold up the jewelry store.
Related Idioms
- "Hold everything!": A command to stop or wait immediately.
- Hold everything! I forgot my keys.
- "Hold the line": To wait on the telephone; to maintain a position or current state.
- Please hold the line for a moment. (wait on phone)
- We must hold the line against these price increases. (maintain position)
Noun
- the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time
- robbery at gunpoint