HELD OFF (ON) Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for held off (on)

Verb

The final was postponed to Monday after heavy rain washed out Sunday’s play.

— James Hansen, New York Times, 20 July 2026
This is why a poor weather forecast postponed the initial I-285 closure in May for a couple of weeks.

— Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 19 July 2026

Definition of postponed

Verb

Negotiations started months before the expiration date, Acree said, but were delayed in good faith because of new leadership at the helm.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
More than half of Chinese clean-tech investments in the US announced since 2022 have been canceled, paused, or delayed.

— Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 14 July 2026

Definition of delayed

Verb

The former Black-ish and Grown-ish star — who played a college student on the latter series — initially deferred her acceptance to the Ivy League school for a year to work on a few projects, ultimately enrolling in 2017.

— Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
In June, Oceanside’s City Council voted unanimously to exempt multiple sites from the law and deferred others from high-density zoning until 2032, relying on carve-outs for areas with existing housing capacity, lack of walking paths and more.

— Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026

Definition of deferred

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held off

held off (on)

held on

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“Held off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of held off (on)

verb

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