held off (on)

verb

past tense of hold off (on)
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)
  1. postponed
  2. delayed
  3. deferred
Verb
  • Brook was set to face Eisa Al Dah in Dubai in a bout raising money for the Ricky Hatton Foundation, but the event was postponed and never rescheduled.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The protests over the shooting led to several nearby community events being canceled or postponed.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of postponed
Verb
  • According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, 45% of flights in and out of Chicago O'Hare International Airport were delayed on Tuesday, and 10% were canceled.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Each step introduces friction — points where patients may be delayed, confused, or lost in the process entirely.
    — Jeffrey Millstein, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • Because taxes are generally deferred until distributions are taken, the annual tax impact of interest income may be reduced.
    — David Kudla, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • In addition, opting for a simple immediate or deferred annuity may also help amplify income, the report states.
    — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 29 July 2026
Definition of deferred
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.

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held off
held off (on)
held on
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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 13 Aug. 2026.

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