HOLDING OFF (ON) Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

holding off (on)

verb

present participle of hold off (on)

as in postponing

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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding off (on)

Verb

According to the complaint, Brightline Investment Holdings has failed to pay down its loan or make any interest payments since December of 2025, even after seeking multiple extensions and postponing the maturity date of the loan.

— Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Earlier today, the president threw another wrench in the situation, floating the idea of postponing Blanche's confirmation until next year, when Cornyn and Tillis will both be gone from the Senate.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Definition of postponing

Verb

Sacramento Regional Transit will adjust six bus routes beginning Sunday, including delaying departure times and eliminating one early-morning trip from Florin.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The discovery prevented the plane from being moved on schedule, delaying a flight and forcing JetBlue to use a different aircraft instead, according to the affidavit, an interruption estimated to cost the airline over $2,400.

— Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

Landa worked with the Association to get the original project approved in 2017 after holding over 30 public meetings.

— Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
And moviegoers turned out to indies from Rosemead to The Chronology of Water, All That’s Left Of You and more, new and holding over, limited, wide and top ten.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2026

Definition of holding over

Verb

Hundreds of military bases have been putting off cleanup of toxic PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, for years, according to a new USA TODAY analysis of military records.

— Austin Fast, USA Today, 26 July 2026
Home Depot and Lowe’s both told investors this year that homeowners are putting off larger home improvement projects – those often associated with fixer-upper homes.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Definition of putting off

Verb

Expanding to India might be a better way to capture growth, but this takes time and a willingness to accept short-term efficiency costs—a trade-off that many firms keep deferring.

— Yasushi Sasaki, Fortune, 30 July 2026
But his strategy of deferring problems instead of seeking constructive solutions to them eventually blew up, resulting in the invasion of southern Israel and the deaths of 1,200 Israelis.

— Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

Definition of deferring

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holding off

holding off (on)

holding on

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“Holding off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of holding off (on)

verb

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