1
as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
there'll be a holdback on production until the new machinery is fully installed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the only holdback to starting the new job is my contractual commitment to my current position
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to hamper
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the only thing holding them back from joining the swim team is lack of transportation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
held back her tears until she was alone
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of holdback
Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
If the house is not sold after 180 days, the company retains what remains of the 30% holdback.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Kylie Kelce didn't hold back when opening up about the attention on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for holdback
Noun
Add curtain holdbacks with playful animal details, or top your door hinges with decorative hinge caps for a knowing wink of whimsy.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
If the house is not sold after 180 days, the company retains what remains of the 30% holdback.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
LeBron James looked on with his hands on his hips as the exchange continued, before Reaves, who was briefly held back by a staffer, walked away.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Kylie Kelce didn't hold back when opening up about the attention on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for holdback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holdback
Noun
-
Caltrans advised drivers to use the prior exit to reach their destinations and avoid delays.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
As the delay stretched on, some players played cards.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While there wasn’t a 7-foot-4 obstacle blocking the lane, the Clippers still couldn’t get out of their own way and lost to the Spurs for the third time in less than a month, 118-99, at the Intuit Dome.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
-
At the same time, the physicists don’t see any insurmountable obstacles.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sandboxing allows firms to focus solely on moving experiments swiftly through the pilot phase because the teams working on them are not hampered by juggling experimentation with their day-to-day.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
His attempts at a comeback could still be hampered.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Academic journals struggled to put out issues, stifled by high printing costs and staff layoffs, scrounging for enough articles to fill their pages and paying subscribers to read them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
There are those, however, who do not see regulation as a stifling force.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
To put things in perspective, that was even longer than the wait list for tickets to Bozo’s Circus.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
For now, their wait continues, with Jamaica’s sunny weather and Wade’s sunny disposition giving them hope.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There are technological hurdles for SpaceX to carry out its plans.—
The Los Angeles Times,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
This is because their use can open a Pandora’s box of unexpected hurdles and new challenges in the garden.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The indictment includes the conspiracy count, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in federal prison, as well as several other counts of forcibly impeding a federal officer, each punishable by up to one year in federal prison.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Castle has become nearly impossible to impede.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, said its forces faced 6,462 Russian drones and 138 missiles of various types across the course of the month, of which 5,833 drones and 102 missiles -- around 90% of drones and just under 74% of missiles -- were intercepted or suppressed.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Declining immigration is constraining labor supply, higher productivity is suppressing labor demand, business activity captured by our Texas Business Outlook Surveys recently moderated, and geopolitical uncertainty is elevated.—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holdback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holdback. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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