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held off

verb

past tense of hold off
1
as in turned back

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in put off

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held off
  1. turned back
  2. put off
  3. turned away
  4. broke off
  5. resisted
  6. deferred
  7. opposed
  8. postponed
Verb
  • But this is about Folk, the 41-year-old whose right leg could be the Falcons’ biggest point of improvement from last season and a 19-year veteran who has somehow, someway, turned back the clock.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The 42-year-old turned back the clock Sunday, with 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of turned back
Verb
  • SoftBank’s energy business and nuclear company Holtec put off their listings after investors balked, The New York Times reported.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • For many, the little treat brings back memories of romantic summer evenings (even if some are put off by the long lines of tourists at Luini’s today).
    — Emma Bocchi, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of put off
Verb
  • White House reporters from the two cable networks -- Betsy Klein of CNN and Akayla Gardner of MS NOW -- both went live to report they'd been turned away, their press badges deactivated, when arriving for their jobs at the White House.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • White House reporters from the two cable networks — Betsy Klein of CNN and Akayla Gardner of MS NOW — both went live to report they’d been turned away, their press badges deactivated, when arriving for their jobs at the White House.
    — Jocelyn Noveck, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of turned away
Verb
  • While awaiting trial in a Riverside County jail, Morales stabbed another inmate so hard that the tip of the knife broke off in the victim’s body, according to the appellate decision.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Brown broke off a 32-yard run and suffered an apparent leg injury.
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of broke off
Verb
  • The university initially resisted the financial institution’s requests to open an account and to provide personal information of its then-chief financial officer, but ultimately gave in, Kraus said.
    — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Then, his administration sent letters and filed lawsuits to push states to run their sensitive voter data through the tool – a prospect some states have agreed to, but many have resisted to keep their residents’ personal information secure.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of resisted
Verb
  • Working with Jennings for the first time on the album represents a plan deferred, since there had been talk of him co-producing her previous effort.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The Sheriff’s Office deferred questions about the subpoenas to the Office of Statewide Prosecution.
    — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of deferred
Verb
  • One aspect of Lamont’s energy policy that Fazio declined to second-guess was the decision to sign a deal with Millstone, which was opposed by some Republicans at the time.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Kalshi’s announcement also follows a meeting between the CFTC and tribal representatives who are opposed to prediction markets, who reiterated their opposition to event contracts following the session.
    — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of opposed
Verb
  • The win for West Orange sets up a key district clash next week at Edgewater, which gained an unexpected bye week when their matchup with Jones was postponed Friday.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Konig was set to be sentenced in August, though the hearing was postponed after the defense filed a motion seeking a new trial.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of postponed
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

held (in)
held off
held off (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Held off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20off. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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