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

The pager attacks For months, Israel largely held off on escalating the war with Hezbollah. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 1 Oct. 2024

Some buyers may have held off on home purchases in the third quarter in anticipation of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s September interest rate cut. —Dylan Butts, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2024

Many customers may be holding off on buying until these features are fully available, potentially driving an uptick in sales later in the cycle. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024

The leader at the midweek point, Gary holds off some strong contenders. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Sep. 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