hold off

verb

held off; holding off; holds off

transitive verb

1

: to block from an objective : delay

2

: to defer action on : postpone

hold off a decision

3

: to fight to a standoff : withstand

intransitive verb

: to defer or temporarily stop doing something

Synonyms

• defer
• delay
• hold over
• hold up
• lay over
• postpone
• put off
• put over
• remit
• shelve

Examples of hold off in a Sentence

we held off on accepting the invitation in the hopes that something better would come along

Recent Examples on the Web

Ultimately, the recall effort failed — unofficial election results from the May 7 special election show Gort and Vance holding off their challengers. —Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 10 May 2024

With inflation picking up again, the Fed is holding off on rate cuts, which can re-ignite an escalation in prices. —Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

hold off

verb

1

: to keep away : withstand

held off the attack

2

: postpone, delay

decided to hold off on the decision

will hold off production for the summer