1
as in turning back
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2
as in putting off
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding off
Verb
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One thing that particularly excited him was turning back the clock for exteriors on New York’s Lower East Side, where the tight shooting schedule often required the art department to transform locations as quickly as possible.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
6 Jan. 2026 -
There’s turning back up until the deed is done.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Customers are also putting off purchases due to the back and forth on tariff levels.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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Millions of Americans are shaving down their grocery budgets and putting off buying a home as wages fail to meet rising costs of living.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Multiple videos also show a federal agent in a gray jacket reaching into the scuffle empty-handed and emerging with a gun in his right hand, turning away from the man when the first shot is fired, then running across the street as more shots are fired.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Trump administration officials say the officer, Jonathan Ross, shot her in self-defense, although videos of the encounter show the Honda Pilot slowly turning away from him.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In that unlikely scenario, there would be a risk of debris breaking off the asteroid and hitting Earth.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
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Once enough cars have sped over these fissures, chunks begin breaking off to create those infamous potholes that pop tires and ruin shocks.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With the city well behind its housing goals and high construction costs shelving efforts to build, San Jose is considering expanding financial incentives to spur the next wave of development projects.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
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The fiscal rationale for shelving the bill was never persuasive.—
Jeffrey Prang,
Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These conditions pose challenges for travel, so exercise extra caution on the road or consider postponing your trip if possible.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
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But Texas women's basketball is postponing its game against Arkansas.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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With its silvery-blue needles, the blue spruce is not only an elegant addition to many yards but also is capable of withstanding adverse conditions, including cold weather.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
20 Jan. 2026
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The newest version collects data quickly and can also monitor the local environment while withstanding high levels of radiation.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hoyer made amends for his quiet winter by signing Bregman and acquiring starting pitcher Edward Cabrera in the same week, and Ricketts was absolved by finally opening his wallet and deferring $70 million like a real large-market owner.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
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But as IndieWire’s Ben Travers explained in his Season 2 review, the latest installments get bogged down by world-building and franchise positioning — effectively deferring emotional resolution and narrative momentum too long for a game or a TV show.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Holding off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20off. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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