minor holdup

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   a small, short delay that stops something from happening on time.

   Grammar: Countable: say a minor holdup or two minor holdups; it often follows there was or we had.

   Patterns

   • there was a minor holdup
   • a minor holdup on the road
   • a minor holdup with something

   There was a minor holdup on the highway, so we arrived ten minutes late.

   Sorry for the minor holdup — the printer jammed again.

   A minor holdup at security meant we almost missed the flight.

2. 2nouncountable

   a small problem that slows a process or plan for a short time.

   Grammar: Often used with with: a minor holdup with the paperwork.

   Patterns

   • a minor holdup with something
   • cause a minor holdup

   We had a minor holdup with the visa forms, but everything was approved.

   Expect a minor holdup while the new system is installed.

Word forms

Common combinations

a minor holdup

A minor holdup kept the train at the station for five minutes.

there was a minor holdup

There was a minor holdup at the border, but we crossed by noon.

cause a minor holdup

Heavy rain caused a minor holdup on the ring road.

a minor holdup with

We had a minor holdup with the payment, so the order shipped late.

Synonyms and how they differ

delay

Delay is the general word and can be long or serious; a holdup is usually short and slightly informal.

setback

A setback is a problem that harms progress and feels more serious than a minor holdup.

snag

A snag is a small unexpected problem; it stresses the difficulty, while a holdup stresses the lost time.

Word family

hold up phrasal verb

to delay someone or something: The traffic held us up.

holdup noun

a delay, or a robbery carried out with threats.

Commonly confused: minor holdup or hold-up?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “minor holdup”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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