as in to postpone
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off (on)
Verb
-
Mangione, who wore a dark gray suit with a light blue shirt, appeared in court before Judge Gregory Carro to continue last week’s evidence suppression hearing that had been postponed because the 27-year-old suspect was sick.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Dec. 2025 -
Ultimately, the bride shared in an update, the couple decided to postpone the wedding until June 2027, and decreasing the size of the guest list.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Dozens of state Democratic lawmakers staged a two-week walk out, fleeing Texas to temporarily delay the bill’s passage.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
25 Aug. 2025
-
The couple were engaged in 2016, but Harris said the the COVID-19 pandemic and fires that broke out through the Kelowna region in 2023 forced them to delay their plans for a wedding.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The chief engineer and the federal government have agreed to defer the prosecution, meaning that his case is on pause.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
The nuclear issue – along with core issues such as ballistic missiles and Iran’s proxies – has been deferred for 60 days.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
This is a great sign, seeing as Reflect Orbital's ultimate hope is to put over 50,000 satellites in Earth orbit by the year 2035.—
Monisha Ravisetti,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
When the rudder is put over, the stern swings out first, so that if the vessel is in restricted waters, trying to avoid something ahead can result in hitting something behind.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hold off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
