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 In 2023, thawing permafrost led to a rock collapse into South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim, India, generating a wave that burst through the moraine holding back the glacial lake. — Umesh Haritashya, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2026 Iris Skrami, chief executive officer of Renoon, said many companies are still holding back on their DPP work. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026 The figure was significantly higher than analysts’ 44% estimate, but Huang and Nvidia CFO Colette Kress specified that there were still heavy supply constraints holding back the $5 trillion chipmaker. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 According to the Pew Research Center, roughly one in four Americans 50 and older has used a dating app or site — and women in midlife aren’t holding back. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 21 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding back

Verb

The Supreme Court has been a fitful friend to Trump in his second term, alternately enabling and impeding him.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Cornstarch can create issues like clogging sprayers, impeding root growth, or interfering with leaf function.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of impeding

Verb

Mostly sunny skies are then expected through the work week, with stifling temperatures by mid-week, the forecast shows.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
Several horses collapsed from heat exhaustion after competing in stifling heat in the middle of the day during the cross-country phase of the eventing.

— Danielle Rossingh, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

Birds visiting the feeder can get the goo on their wings, hampering their ability to fly and possibly leading to their untimely deaths.

— Joan Morris, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Fathur said, adding that there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search.

— Reuters, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of hampering

Verb

Many cope by masking or camouflaging — suppressing autistic traits in order to fit in.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
However, moderate levels enable the locus coeruleus to emphasize task-relevant information while suppressing background noise.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

More than 1,300 people are missing, and a lack of connectivity, power and resources are hindering rescue efforts.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
The charges are hindering proceedings by disorderly conduct, a Class A misdemeanor, and disrupting a meeting or procession, a Class B misdemeanor.

— Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of hindering

Verb

Popular media and Southern folklore frequently claimed that kudzu was swallowing 150,000 new acres every year and had overtaken anywhere from 7 to 9 million acres across the region.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
The cause of the powerful torrents of floodwater that carved a devastating path through Nepal and Tibet — swallowing towns, roads and bridges — is not yet clear, but Nepal is a hotspot for climate disasters as the planet heats up.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of swallowing

Verb

The comprehensive regimen is meant to uncover any prior criminal conduct in an applicant’s past as well as embarrassing personal information that could make an employee vulnerable to blackmail.

— Eric Tucker, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Since then, Hochman has been slammed for playing politics, embarrassing his office and even backing down for no reason other than the pressure was too intense.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of embarrassing

Verb

For example, a local retailer can combine sales history, seasonal trends and inventory data to identify which products to reorder and which are tying up cash.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Richardson turned his back to her and appeared to be tying up the string of his pants.

— Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 20 Aug. 2026