hold off (on)

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off (on)
Verb
  • If the high court agrees to review the case, any potential retrial could be postponed indefinitely.
    Adeola Adeosun Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The question of whether to postpone or proceed with matches has been an increasingly fraught issue this season, and is not limited to medical emergencies involving individual players.
    Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • More than 300 flights were delayed at Denver International Airport on Saturday due to a ground delay caused by thunderstorms in the area.
    Marco Cummings, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Previously, researchers faced strict regulations that could delay their work.
    Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Wisconsin joins 14 other states, including Minnesota and Illinois, in creating a vaccine protocol that does not defer solely to federal health officials.
    Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Buffett’s buy-and-hold approach not only compounds wealth but also defers taxes, allowing more capital to keep working year after year.
    Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • At 48 years old, the veteran has been used to put over the next generation of superstars.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The market is putting over 85% odds on a cut, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Hold off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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