placeholder
noun
place·hold·er
ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər 
plural placeholders
1
: a person or thing that occupies the position or place of another person or thing
The bill would empower the governor to appoint a placeholder to a vacant U.S. Senate seat, to serve through the next general election cycle.—
John Sharp
John SharpThe result was that the legislation represented little more than a placeholder to put the budget before a conference committee …—Carl Ingram
Carl Ingram2
: a symbol in a mathematical or logical expression that may be replaced by the name of any element of a set
3
American football
: a player who places and holds the ball upright on the ground for placekicking of a field goal
Examples of placeholder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Add them to empty flower pots and urns, use them as a placeholder in your window’s flower box, or stick them in hanging baskets.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2024
That line, written by me or a member of the campaign staff, was a placeholder.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for placeholder 
Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2024
That line, written by me or a member of the campaign staff, was a placeholder.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for placeholder
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'placeholder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near placeholder
Cite this Entry
“Placeholder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placeholder. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
placeholder
noun
place·hold·er
ˈplās-ˌhōl-dər
: a symbol used in mathematics in the place of a numeral not yet known
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share