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

Arts supporters became alarmed when commissioners last month held off providing SCAC with its annual $73,483 in county money. —Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026

Trainer Graham Motion got first and second in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf, with Test Score holding off One Stripe at the end of the 1 1/8-mile race. —Tim Reynolds, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026

Travelers are taking a wait-and-see approach—holding off on booking until weeks, and sometimes days before their trip. —Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

The UConn hockey team got goals from five different players and held off a pesky Yale squad to advance to the final of the CT Ice tournament with a 5-2 win over the Elis on Friday night at Ingalls Rink. —From Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 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