A holdup is a delay or interruption that stops something from moving forward. When traffic grinds to a halt because of an accident, that accident is the holdup. When your class can't start the spelling bee because two students haven't arrived yet, those missing students are the holdup. The word captures that frustrating feeling of being ready to go but having to wait because something is blocking progress.

You might hear someone ask, “What's the holdup?” when a project that should have started hasn't begun, or when dinner is taking longer than expected. A holdup at airport security means long lines and delays. A holdup in construction might be caused by bad weather or missing materials.

The word can also mean a robbery, especially when someone uses a weapon to steal money. An old-fashioned bank robber might commit a holdup by threatening a teller. You might see this meaning in old Western movies or detective stories. “This is a holdup!” the masked bandit might shout.

In both meanings, something stops what would normally happen: either progress gets blocked by a delay, or someone's money gets blocked by a criminal.