English Reference
Idiom idiom

holding pattern

Meaning

Any failure to advance; useless or unproductive activity.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples
SIMPLE

“The project is in a holding pattern right now.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The negotiations are stuck in a holding pattern until the lawyers finish reviewing the documents.”

COMPLEX

“With funding frozen and no clear direction from leadership, the entire department had lapsed into a holding pattern, marking time until someone made a decision.”

Anchors to
Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    be left holding the baby

    To be left with the responsibility of resolving a problem.

  2. 02

    leave someone holding the baby

    To abandon someone and put them in a position where they must take the responsibility or blame.

Last updated August 10, 2026