phrase. If you say that there are no holds barred when people are fighting or competing for something, you mean that they are no longer following any rules in their efforts to win.

What is meaning of no holds barred?

: free of restrictions or hampering conventions a no-holds-barred contest.

Is it no holes barred or no holds?

When the term no holds barred is used as an adjective before a noun, then it is hyphenated as no-holds-barred.