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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off (on)
Verb
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On March 1 of this year, the Qatari soccer federation postponed all matches during the ongoing war between Israel and Iran while other sporting events in the region were also affected.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026 -
He had been forced to postpone his own acting ambitions when he was drafted into the Vietnam War, serving 11 months with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Tây Ninh.—
Carl Kurlander,
Deadline,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Onlookers were festive and chatty amid thunderstorms that threatened to delay the work.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
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The Friday night news conference at the Lincoln Memorial was delayed for about an hour because of lightning.—
Dan Gelston,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
Verb
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This is the story of what happens to a dream deferred in the dusty apartments, drag clubs and secluded rivers of Colombia in the 1990s.—
Laura Zornosa,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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The county’s cost-saving measures include eliminating vacant positions, cutting programs, deferring maintenance projects, increasing revenue and implementing layoffs.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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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 16 Jun. 2026.
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