hold up to (something)

hold up to (something)

1. To physically lift someone to the same height as something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "hold" and "up." If I held you up to the window, do you think you could fit through the opening? When Daddy gets home, he'll hold you up to the top of the tree so you can put the star on, OK? Hey, hold me up to the top of the fence so I can see where our frisbee landed!

2. To withstand scrutiny or some form of challenge. Her story won't hold up to a cross-examination, don't worry. They want to investigate your claim to see if it holds up to a more in-depth examination. Her explanation had too many inconsistencies and contradictions to hold up to scrutiny.

See also: hold, to, up

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

hold someone up to something

to lift someone up to the level of something. I held up little Mary to the window so she could see out. She was held up to the window so she could see better.

See also: hold, to, up

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.