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

Vegas built a 3-0 lead in Game 1 and held off a late Colorado rally. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

But the Twins took the final bow, scoring three in the 11th on Brooks Lee’s bases-clearing double and holding off the Sox for a 5-3, 11-inning win. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026

The South Carolina House passed the redistricting bill last week, but the state Senate held off until May 26, which was also the start of early voting in the state. —Bella Carpentier, USA Today, 26 May 2026

The stage then ended with a shock victory for the breakaway, with an undecorated quartet holding off a distracted peloton by 10 seconds — Uno-X Mobility’s Fredrik Dversnes winning the sprint. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 25 May 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