HELD OFF Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

held off

verb

past tense of hold off

as in turned back

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

as in put off

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held off

Verb

As the clock ticked down, Boyle took off his headphones, dropped the microphone and turned back into a student, rushing the field with his classmates.

— Pete Sampson, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Sandy Creek has sat idle since a major failure last year and isn’t expected to be turned back on until March 2027.

— Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 13 July 2026

Definition of turned back

Verb

So, when Thursday’s term sheet was sent to the Blazers, the team was put off by asks from the city, particularly the $3 million annual fee for a property tax offset and a requirement that the team hires union workers.

— Jason Quick, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Don’t be surprised if your teen is angry or put off by the conversation.

— Sherri Gordon, Parents, 21 July 2026

Definition of put off

Verb

Check local donation guidelines before loading the truck Nothing derails a donation day faster than showing up with a truckload of furniture only to be turned away.

— Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 July 2026
Rookie Brian Schwake turned away four shots for Nashville (12-2-3), which had won five in a row and gone 8-0-2 during its unbeaten run.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026

Definition of turned away

Verb

Similar gains were observed for other rare earth combinations, suggesting that controlling channel size could become a general strategy for separating elements that have long resisted efficient purification.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026
The couple initially resisted the town’s removal order, insisting the roosters were meant to comfort their daughter Pyper, not advertise their business.

— Holly Ramer, Fortune, 24 July 2026

Definition of resisted

Verb

When to consider waiting a little longer If key conversations about money, conflict, or the future keep getting deferred, that’s worth paying attention to.

— Ashley Lynch July 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
Trump officials said the funding is not permanently cut but deferred until states provide information to support the claims.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 July 2026

Definition of deferred

Verb

Masterson, O’Hara, Rogers and Schmidt have all raised concerns about or opposed data-center incentives.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Mayors and first selectmen rely on that money to balance their budgets, and two key lobbying groups, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and the Council of Small Towns, have both opposed eliminating the car tax.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026

Definition of opposed

Verb

Every year lost to delay is another year of constrained growth, postponed industrial investment, and missed economic opportunity that severely impacts current and future competitiveness.

— Andreas Schierenbeck, Fortune, 27 July 2026
While Faith No More had planned to return to the stage in 2020, those dates were postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2026

Definition of postponed

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Browse Nearby Words

held (in)

held off

held off (on)

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Style

“Held off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20off. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of held off

verb

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