as in postponed
to assign to a later time
we held off on accepting the invitation in the hopes that something better would come along
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held off (on)
Verb
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The two teams were scheduled to play in a rematch Tuesday in Oak Lawn but the game was postponed by a late afternoon storm that rendered the baseball field unplayable.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026 -
Ghalibaf, the country’s long-serving parliament speaker, led the first round of negotiations with the US in Islamabad and was expected to attend opposite Vice President JD Vance for a second round of talks that were first delayed, then postponed indefinitely.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The trial had been set to start this week but was delayed until next February.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
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The hearings have been delayed by litigation, though, including over who should prosecute the cases going forward.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday, the Miami City Commission deferred voting on two commissioners’ requests to fund affordable housing and parks in their districts after officials quarreled over which areas in the city have the most pressing needs, an argument that cut to the core of the wealth divide in Miami.—
Tess Riski
April 10,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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Council members Jared Fears and Bridget McCandless declined to comment and said that the situation was a personnel issue and deferred any comments to the city.—
Ben Wheeler
April 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Held off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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