holder

noun

HOHL-der/ˈhoʊɫdɚ/UKHOHL-duh/ˈhəʊldə/

4 meanings of holder

1
nouncountable
An object or device that holds something else.
Slide your phone into the holder on the dashboard so you can see the map.
She lit the candles and set them in brass holders along the mantel.
Similarstand, mount, cradle
2
nouncountable
A person who has or possesses something, whether for a time or permanently.
Every account holder will receive a new debit card by mail.
Passport holders from neighboring countries can enter without a visa.
Similarowner, bearer, possessor
Note
The word rarely stands alone: what is held either goes in front, as in account holder or passport holder, or follows with of when it is an office or an honor. George Saintsbury, writing on Dryden in 1881, calls Davenant “the last holder of the laureateship,” and a decoration such as the Victoria Cross has its living holders.
3
nouncountable
In sports, the reigning champion, who is defending the title in a competition.
The holders were knocked out of the cup by a second-division team.
As the holder, she was seeded first and given an easy opening match.
Similarchampion
Note
The champion is pictured as holding the title, which links this use to the possessor meaning. With the, it names the reigning winners of a competition, a team as readily as a single player: the holders went out in the first round. The label lasts only until the competition is next decided.

Less common meaning

4
noun
One who is employed in the hold of a vessel.

Practice

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Origin

Formed from hold and the suffix -er.