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

Stephen Curry scored 17 points with a pair of four-point plays in his second game back from a right knee injury, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Sacramento Kings 110-105 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak. —CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

The possibility remains that Trump could hold off on his threats again, among other scenarios. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026

But that legendary drought finally ended Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium when Michigan held off UConn 69-63 in the NCAA Tournament championship game for its first title since 1989. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026

On March 31, the Fort Worth City Council decided to hold off on voting on a major tax agreement for a data center that would be built in the fast-growing suburbs of West Fort Worth near Benbrook. —Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 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