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as in to put off
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Recent Examples of hold off
Despite stumbling on a quad lutz jump and forgoing a quad axel for a triple, Malinin’s score of 200 points was enough to hold off a clean and graceful program by Japan’s Shun Sato for the overall gold.
—
Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
That leaves room for some of the supporting performers to be more memorable — notably Temple, who makes the personal stake of Susan’s investment quietly affecting, and Richardson, whose character is the most aware that no fix is going to permanently hold off the AI threat.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Zelensky, however, accused Russia of breaking its commitment to hold off its attacks on Ukraine’s energy assets, claiming the weeklong pause was due to come into force last Friday.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Solanke showed strength, composure and control to hold off Abdukodir Khusanov, cut back inside, and score after a tangle with Marc Guehi.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold off
Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
That leaves room for some of the supporting performers to be more memorable — notably Temple, who makes the personal stake of Susan’s investment quietly affecting, and Richardson, whose character is the most aware that no fix is going to permanently hold off the AI threat.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
Zelensky, however, accused Russia of breaking its commitment to hold off its attacks on Ukraine’s energy assets, claiming the weeklong pause was due to come into force last Friday.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Solanke showed strength, composure and control to hold off Abdukodir Khusanov, cut back inside, and score after a tangle with Marc Guehi.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hold off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off
Verb
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He was arrested and booked into Imperial County Jail on suspicion of murder and resisting a peace officer.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Yoon was first detained in January 2025 after resisting attempts to arrest him in a weeks-long standoff with authorities at his home in Seoul.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Administrators report that many students are now afraid of having sociology classes on their transcripts, as this may put off potential employers.—
Wendy Nelson Espeland,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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This unique point of view has won plaudits from those watching NBC‘s broadcast, even though a few fans have been put off by the trackers’ incessant zipping noise.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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William Johnston, an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, previously told USA TODAY that abstaining from eating meat is also a form of penance – admitting to any wrongdoings and sins while turning back to belief in God.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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But the group was turned back by Syrian authorities to the Roj detention camp, due to unspecified procedural problems.—
Rod McGuirk,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After consulting with new City Attorney Joseph Svetanoff, the council decided to vote on the resolution put forth by Cotton, not the call to table it for further discussion put forth by Hunt.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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Three different votes were held to table the agenda item; another to approve the list without Willett and one to reapprove him.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The logic runs like this — these microbes have spent tens of thousands of years developing biological mechanisms to withstand freezing temperatures.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
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The company says these materials have been chosen to withstand years of use.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Saturday, one of those protests turned violent when about 100 hooded protesters broke off from a peaceful march and clashed with police, who responded by firing on them with tear gas and a water cannon.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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The video sees Strelow attempt to reattach the medal before realizing — like Johnson — that the small clasp connecting the medal to the ribbon had broken off as well.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When that happens, families turn to public hospitals, where no one is turned away.—
Shane Strum,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
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The simple design suited the low-key style icon and reflected the restraint which characterized fashion of the era—a turn away from the maximalism of the 1980s.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Significant portions of the one-year contracts Michael King and Elias Díaz played under in 2024 were deferred via buyouts on a mutual option.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Asked what’s next on the agenda, the rapper-designer-actor deferred his answer to a higher power.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hold off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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