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as in to put off
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hold off
Combining recent anti-amyloid medications with physical activity, for example, could be a way to hold off progression of Alzheimer’s.
—
Alice Park, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Climbing roses should only be pruned in the fall to remove dead or diseased canes, but hold off until late winter or spring to do any major pruning.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025
Cagliari kept 20 clean sheets and this, combined with Gigi Riva scoring half of their goals (21 of 42) was enough to hold off second-place Inter and become the first — and so far only — team from outside the mainland to win the Italian top flight.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Senior Deputy District Attorney Dave Porter opted to hold off on giving his opening statements in the sanity phase on Thursday.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold off
Alice Park, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Climbing roses should only be pruned in the fall to remove dead or diseased canes, but hold off until late winter or spring to do any major pruning.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025
Cagliari kept 20 clean sheets and this, combined with Gigi Riva scoring half of their goals (21 of 42) was enough to hold off second-place Inter and become the first — and so far only — team from outside the mainland to win the Italian top flight.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Senior Deputy District Attorney Dave Porter opted to hold off on giving his opening statements in the sanity phase on Thursday.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off
Verb
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Patriot resists easy characterization chiefly because of Conrad’s writing, which gives his characters strange rhythms and, sometimes, even stranger verbiage.—
Claire McNear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
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Will you be allowed to bring in your own people, or will the Monforts — owner Dick Monfort and his son Walker, the executive vice president — resist your efforts?—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Experts attribute the drop-off to rising costs and economic uncertainty, as Americans are increasingly putting off travel plans or opting for road trips over flights.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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Rochelle, busy with the kids, classes and a reporter shadowing her daily life, put off a reply until a slower day.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There’s turning back up until the deed is done.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
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When Genevieve’s physics experiment at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair goes explosively wrong, Ash jumps in to save the day, turning back time by a few minutes to prevent disaster.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Farm to table For the first time this year, some of South Florida’s top chefs have started to source local oysters.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
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The committee debated whether doctors should wait a month before giving a dose—even though some women aren’t screened for the virus during pregnancy and the virus can be transmitted by other caregivers—but ultimately decided to table the issue.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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First, physical hardware must be resilient enough to withstand extreme weather, temperatures, and impacts, with the goal of reducing the need for humans to enter sites for repairs.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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Lilac While traditional lilacs struggle in Southern climates, some varieties can withstand the heat of warmer regions.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As Zane’s use of ChatGPT grew heavier, the service repeatedly encouraged him to break off contact with his family, the logs show.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Mahama breaks off in exasperation.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But recent election results suggest trouble for the Republicans, with voters who fueled their gains in 2024 turning away from the party.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Their counterparts who had been turned away from Mercer County, too, formed communities elsewhere in Ohio.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Fears of the dotcom bubble repeating can be deferred for now — even Powell suggested so.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
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After a brief discussion to defer a vote for fear of litigation, the board moved forward with the vote that ended in a 4-4 tie.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hold off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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