hold-up play

noun

A play where an attacker retains possession of the ball, while the teammates can move up the field.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounhold-up play (plural hold-up plays)

plural hold-up plays

  1. idiomaticball gamesA play where an attacker retains possession of the ball, while the teammates can move up the field.

    Arsenal must have been pleased that Leeds' leading scorer Luciano Becchio was ruled out with a back injury and the hosts missed his hold-up play and threat for long periods as Wenger's side produced wave after wave of attack.

    2011 January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, “Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal”, in BBC
Cite this entry
APA

hold-up play. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold-up%20play

MLA

“hold-up play.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold-up%20play. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hold-up play,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hold-up%20play.

Source: hold-up play on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.