hold off

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hold off Senior Deputy District Attorney Dave Porter opted to hold off on giving his opening statements in the sanity phase on Thursday. Sean Emery, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025 Houston had pulled a gun on Ramos, but the friend convinced him to hold off and was speaking with him on the patio when Houston saw police approaching. Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 18 Oct. 2025 The Tigers managed to hold off a pesky Manual team’s second-half comeback Friday, emerging on top 28-17. Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Oct. 2025 And the White House has for days threatened layoffs across the government, only to hold off. Brett Samuels, The Hill, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hold off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off
Verb
  • Epstein has resisted the obvious move to monetize it.
    Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The family—an ambivalent institution bar none—shapes us, and yet our individuality resists that shaping.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rochelle, busy with the kids, classes and a reporter shadowing her daily life, put off a reply until a slower day.
    Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
  • All of the backup plans that people are preparing to enact - borrowing, trying to visit food banks, putting off other bills - have their own costs and downstream effects.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In November, millions of Americans will turn back their clocks, marking the end of daylight saving time in 2025.
    Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Most of the group turned back, but the teen decided to try it out, reportedly relying on her experience, according to On The Verge.
    Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Farm to table For the first time this year, some of South Florida’s top chefs have started to source local oysters.
    Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The committee debated whether doctors should wait a month before giving a dose—even though some women aren’t screened for the virus during pregnancy and the virus can be transmitted by other caregivers—but ultimately decided to table the issue.
    Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • First, physical hardware must be resilient enough to withstand extreme weather, temperatures, and impacts, with the goal of reducing the need for humans to enter sites for repairs.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Lilac While traditional lilacs struggle in Southern climates, some varieties can withstand the heat of warmer regions.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • As Zane’s use of ChatGPT grew heavier, the service repeatedly encouraged him to break off contact with his family, the logs show.
    Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Mahama breaks off in exasperation.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Harper and Martinez said that their organizations never turn away pantry donations.
    Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
  • But when Sarah goes to the hospital to drop off a card for Dinah, she’s turned away by weirdly hostile staffers.
    Judy Berman, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Fears of the dotcom bubble repeating can be deferred for now — even Powell suggested so.
    Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
  • After a brief discussion to defer a vote for fear of litigation, the board moved forward with the vote that ended in a 4-4 tie.
    Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hold off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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