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
If your Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum) grew a lot since your last pruning, try to hold off until spring to do it again.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
Cox asked the commissioners to hold off on bringing in Fort Worth animal control.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
Stephan and her team initially held off calling their chatbot, which looks like a cartoon panda, a therapist.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Lucic, however, would like to hold off on becoming a general manager.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold off
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Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
Cox asked the commissioners to hold off on bringing in Fort Worth animal control.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
Stephan and her team initially held off calling their chatbot, which looks like a cartoon panda, a therapist.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Lucic, however, would like to hold off on becoming a general manager.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
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 8 Oct. 2025.
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