Hold up means to delay someone or something, or to raise something and hold it where people can see it (a sign, a photo, an umbrella). When people explain why they are late, they say “I was held up” or “I got held up”: something delayed them. In the second meaning, you lift something so that others can see it: hold up a sign.
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be/get held up + in/at/by + noun; hold + someone + up; hold up + a sign / a photo
- Our train was held up by a signal failure, so I got to the office an hour late.
- Let's start without Dan: he's just texted to say he's been held up at the airport.
- The tour guide held up a red umbrella so that we could follow her through the crowd.
What changed
First versionSorry I'm late, I held up at work.
RevisionSorry I'm late, I was held up at work.
In this meaning, “hold up” describes what something else does to you: a traffic jam, a meeting or your boss holds you up. So when you are the one who is late, you say “I was held up”: something delayed you. Without “was”, “I held up at work” means that you delayed someone, but the sentence does not say who. The listener will understand what you meant but will still notice the mistake.
“Delayed” sounds neutral and official, and you hear it in announcements: The 9:15 train is delayed. “Held up” is more common when you explain why you are late: I got held up at the bank. The noun “hold-up” can also mean a delay: What's the hold-up? asks why things have stopped or are taking so long.
Your turn
I missed the start of the call because I ___ in a meeting that ran late.
Show the answer
was held up — A meeting that ran late delayed the speaker, so the form “was held up” is needed. With “held up”, the speaker is the one delaying someone, and the sentence does not say who.
Write about a time you were late for a meeting or a class. Say what held you up and how late you were.
I was held up by roadworks on the way to my English class and arrived twenty minutes late.
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