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 of hold off

• postpone
• delay
• defer
• put over

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

Iran’s long-range, highly accurate Shahed-136 attack drones — flying fiberglass triangles that cost about $35,000 each — have helped Tehran hold off the world’s most powerful military. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026

With Conard on the 5-yard line and two minutes left in the game, East Hartford’s defense held off Conard for a 26-21 win Friday night. — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

After rallying briefly, the Rams could not hold off the Broncos in a 30-26 defeat in front of 76,633 at Empower Field at Mile High. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Florida jumped to a 10-0 lead before Ole Miss even had a first down, pushed the lead to 17-6 by halftime and held off a pair of second-half surges by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels before pulling away. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for hold off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

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