hold off

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hold off And the White House has for days threatened layoffs across the government, only to hold off. Brett Samuels, The Hill, 9 Oct. 2025 Cox asked the commissioners to hold off on bringing in Fort Worth animal control. Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025 Lucic, however, would like to hold off on becoming a general manager. Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 The Dolphins were leading the Jets 10-3 at that point and were able to hold off a fourth-quarter comeback to get off the mark this season. Ben Morse, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hold off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off
Verb
  • For a full display, the set includes 12 bundles of flowers with brown faux eucalyptus leaves, and each piece is made from artificial silk and plastic designed to resist fading and damage from the sun and other weather conditions.
    Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike a killer hiding in the woods, a guy who gets you in your dreams is literally impossible to hide from, and watching our plucky heroine Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) trying to resist sleep presents a new kind of awful torture.
    Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Although observing from a rural spot is ideal, people who can’t escape the city shouldn’t be put off, says Debra Ceravolo, an astrophotographer who images the sky from southern British Columbia.
    Dan Falk, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Encouraging firms to allocate more shares for retail investors risks putting off the foreign institutions Saudi Arabia is simultaneously trying to woo.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But this staredown came on the biggest stage of Toronto’s season, on a night when the pitcher turned back time.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • When do clocks turn back an hour in November?
    Chris Sims, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • Former White House advisor Ball, who is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, said China’s strict rare earth controls represent an opportunity for the rest of the world to build a new supply chain that can withstand weaponization by any one country.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The set comes with two baskets (one medium and one large) that have a durable metal frame to withstand use for years to come.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • When winter ends, the dunes heat up, causing ice blocks to break off.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Weiss made a career for herself as an op-ed staff editor at The New York Times before breaking off from the mainstream publication in 2020 and launching the Free Press.
    Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Evil is aided and abetted by those who stand back and do nothing, who swallow the lies and turn away from images of death and destruction that are wholly preventable.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
  • At the same time, people will not be turned away.
    David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Core questions—borders, sovereignty, refugees—are deferred.
    Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
  • According to trade experts, payments on these new tariffs can be deferred until December 10 but the fees will begin applying on October 14.
    Lori Ann LaRocco, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hold off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!