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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding off (on)
Verb
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Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026 -
Trump signed a proclamation hours before the end of 2025, postponing the tariff hikes on these items, which were originally due to take effect on Thursday.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since oxygen is the culprit, the trick to delaying the browning process is to shield the flesh from oxygen exposure.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
10 Jan. 2026
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But a weaker-than-expected first quarterly earnings report in September was followed a week later by a testing explosion that destroyed a rocket stage — delaying an upcoming launch — and sent the company’s stock plummeting to about $20.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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MicroStrategy remains the leader among corporate crypto treasuries, holding over 638,000 bitcoins valued at an astonishing $71 billion.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Experts attribute the drop-off to rising costs and economic uncertainty, as Americans are increasingly putting off travel plans or opting for road trips over flights.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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All of the backup plans that people are preparing to enact - borrowing, trying to visit food banks, putting off other bills - have their own costs and downstream effects.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Newsom's office previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital, deferring responsibility for the situation to the CIF, CDE and state legislature.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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Had Darnold not crumbled in the postseason, re-signing him to a multi-year deal and deferring McCarthy to a three-year development plan would have been reasonable.—
Trevor Squire,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Holding off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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