English vocabulary · C1
Holdover
/ˈhoʊldˌoʊvɚ/ · n., adj.
Holdover is something from an earlier time that is still here. The world changes, but it stays.
Watch the Holdover lessonContinue in the learning app for video lessons and review.
Example sentences
- That rule is a wartime holdover.
- This shop is a holdover from childhood.
Word origin and roots
from Old English
- hold — keep (from Old English)
- over — after (from Old English)
Synonyms and nuances
- REMNANT — part that still remains (Small Part Left)
- RELIC — old object kept today (Object From The Past)
- LEFTOVER — something still left (Not Used Before)
Words with the same root
hold — keep
- withhold — keep something back
- uphold — keep in force
Lesson notes
Holdover is something from an earlier time that is still here. The world changes, but it stays.
Related: remnant, relic, leftover. Use holdover when an old part remains today.
That rule is a wartime holdover. This shop is a holdover from childhood.
From Old English. Hold- means keep. Over- means after. Something kept after its own time is a holdover.