1
as in turned back
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2
as in put off
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held off
Verb
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The aircraft turned back and landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where the president and those traveling with him were set to board a different aircraft and then resume travel to Switzerland for the global economic conference.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
21 Jan. 2026 -
Tom Cruise is Precrime's chief commanding officer, but the program is turned back around on him when he's flagged as a future murderer himself.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the city has put off issuing citations for parking violations.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
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No suspicious whine in the air, no burning of pungent oils to put off biters.—
Antonia Quirke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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London is so old that wheelchair users are routinely turned away from restaurants, bars, and hotels simply because steps are deemed too beautiful or too invaluable to be replaced or supplemented by ramps.—
Sophie Morgan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
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Adi turned away as the needle found its vein, scanning the other man for a reaction but finding none.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perry broke off her long engagement to actor Orlando Bloom last year.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
20 Jan. 2026
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But during that process, part of the fishing gear broke off, along with the tracking buoy.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What tends to be lost in the record is how stubbornly Jefferson resisted change.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Throughout his appearances in court and trial hearings, Yoon has repeatedly resisted investigators’ attempts to question him about his wife.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In each season from 2027-29, $10 million is deferred.—
Beth Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
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In overtime, the Bears won the toss and deferred.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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New-car dealers Craig Fisher of Boulder and Matthew Gebhardt of Loveland opposed Scout’s application.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
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The hotel and short-term rental industry, meanwhile, opposed the potential 4% increase in the transient occupancy tax that Szabo put forward.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Adding onto the wear-and-tear element was that Monday’s game was a back-to-back, one caused by Saturday’s matchup being postponed to Sunday after a federal immigration agent shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Games between the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks as well as the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets were postponed Sunday as a result of the weather conditions.—
Mike Fore,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Held off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20off. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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