Holdover

noun

noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something left behind, saved or remaining from an earlier time. countable

    "That policy is a holdover from days of punch card data entry."

  2. 2
    something that has survived from the past wordnet
  3. 3
    The distance (at target) by which a rifle scope is aimed higher than the intended point of impact in order to compensate for bullet drop over the distance to the target. countable, uncountable

    "This rangefinder not only measures the distance to the target, but also provides a digital readout of the inches of holdover at that distance."

  4. 4
    an official who remains in office after their term wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
afterglowafterimagebalancebuttbutt endcandle ends

Example

More examples

"That policy is a holdover from days of punch card data entry."

Etymology

Deverbal from hold over.

Related phrases

holdover fire

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.