HOLDING BACK Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

holding back

verb

present participle of hold back

as in impeding

to create difficulty for the work or activity of the only thing holding them back from joining the swim team is lack of transportation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stifling

to refrain from openly showing or uttering held back her tears until she was alone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 holding back Soaring prices stemming from the conflict have forced African countries to keep interest rates elevated, holding back growth and adding to already high borrowing costs. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Marsh was a fearless critic, rarely holding back even with his most caustic and controversial views. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2026 The Legislature’s two appropriation committees do not hold public votes before advancing or holding back measures on their desk. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026 She is baffled by the way her friends Moe and Fumina rail against their parents, especially when Yuko is always holding back at home, forever walking on eggshells. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026 The reduction in state investments and holding back promised funding to cover our faculty raises will have detrimental consequences to our institution, to us as students, and to the state’s future health care workforce. — Opinion, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2026 But holding back defers crucial conversations about goals, methods, and the limits of American aid. — Dafna H. Rand, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026 Forty-five percent cite fear of becoming replaceable as their reason for holding back, and only 16% believe their company is adopting AI for genuine business value rather than hype or competitive pressure. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 July 2026 The selloff in chip stocks and AI-beneficiaries was holding back the market’s attempt at a rally. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding back

Verb

Lynda Albertson, an art-crime analyst, said the works are instantly recognizable, impeding any effort to sell them through reputable channels.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Lynda Albertson, an art crime analyst, said the works are instantly recognizable, impeding any effort to sell them through reputable channels.

— Colleen Barry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of impeding

Verb

Delays connecting new power plants to the grid are hampering progress.

— Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026
Toub said the only scenario in which a rookie wouldn’t participate in special teams is because of an injury — such as the shoulder issue that’s currently hampering the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick, cornerback Mansoor Delane.

— Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of hampering

Verb

In that sense, emotional intelligence becomes less about suppressing feelings than directing them productively.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
The men now rising through the security establishment have spent their careers confronting enemies abroad and suppressing dissent at home.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

Multiple generations of families died at Jonestown—grandmothers administered the deadly concoction to their screaming grandchildren before swallowing it themselves.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Its boxy fit was effortlessly slouchy without swallowing my frame, and its 100 percent cotton fabric felt thick, durable, and cool to the touch.

— Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of swallowing

Verb

Many of the voters of the other political parties have been lending him their support, partly in the hope of embarrassing Farage.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Anthrax, Sublime, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were easy and often embarrassing examples, but the funky waka-waka guitar sound extended to Rage Against the Machine, Green Jellÿ, and Suicidal Tendencies (and their side project, Infectious Grooves).

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of embarrassing

Verb

The episode centered on the botched transfer of crime boss Heath Everett (Jeffrey Vincent Parise), but true fans were more glued to the love story tying up between Winter’s Tim Bradford and Melissa O’Neil’s Lucy Chen.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
Much of the penultimate episode is about tying up loose ends and spending some wholesome time together before the eliminations inevitably begin, and … honestly, everyone is just getting along pretty well.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 July 2026