From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhold somebody/something up as something phrasal verbEXAMPLEto use someone or something as a good example or as proof of something The school is held up as a model for others. This incident will be held up as proof that tougher controls are needed. → hold→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
hold up as • Read Charles Evers' book and hold him up as a model of racial harmony.held up as a model• In fact, the profiles that are held up as models for the United States to follow are ineffective and discriminatory. 