hold off
verb
held off; holding off; holds off
1
: to block from an objective : delay
2
: to defer action on : postpone
hold off a decision
3
: to fight to a standoff : withstand
: to defer or temporarily stop doing something
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
And when the Atlanta Falcons — behind four field goals by former Panther Zane Gonzalez and a late interception by Dee Alford — held off the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the Panthers had secured their first playoff berth since 2017.
—
Joseph Person, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Bergoglio asked him to hold off, but Prevost insisted.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Piper Sandler’s Laperriere said Trump used such types of force infrequently during his first term and held off on bombing Iran.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Georgia kept up its high-scoring pace as the Bulldogs held off Auburn.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold off
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Joseph Person, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Bergoglio asked him to hold off, but Prevost insisted.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Piper Sandler’s Laperriere said Trump used such types of force infrequently during his first term and held off on bombing Iran.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
Georgia kept up its high-scoring pace as the Bulldogs held off Auburn.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold off
Cite this Entry
“Hold off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20off. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.
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