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

Relevance

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 Still, there are good reasons Trump may be holding back, not least to avoid opening a potentially painful second front, just seven months after launching his damaging and ongoing conflict with Iran. — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 Shailene Woodley’s stylist isn’t holding back after the actress’s Emmys look caused a stir on social media. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 17 Sep. 2026 Logs can do the job of beaver dams holding back and spreading a stream. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Nine weeks before the midterms, House Republicans aren’t holding back their criticism of the president’s latest tariff moves. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding back

Verb

Sarah Thompson, president of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, drew attention to the importance of recognizing AI’s ability to simultaneously facilitate education efficacy while impeding other forms of learning.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Throughout Europe, there are rising industry pressures, which include inflation, shipping costs and energy prices, which are impeding growth.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of impeding

Verb

While a label like ‘woman’ has always felt stifling and strange, ‘daughter’ doesn’t carry that heaviness.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
The reform plans include a potentially painful overhaul of the creaking pension system, a reduction of Germany’s stifling bureaucracy and cuts to income tax for low- and middle-income families.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

Davis was unable to hear my questions, which required me to hold them up to the screen, hampering back-and-forth response.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of hampering

Verb

Shifting international conversation The new commitments come as some Haitian observers try to shift the conversation around the crisis beyond suppressing armed gangs to other challenges.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Planting fall cover crops improves soil by reducing compaction, preventing erosion, and suppressing weeds.

— Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

Robinson, 59, of Churchill, Pennsylvania, is the managing attorney at a Pittsburgh law firm, and has been charged with felony tampering and hindering apprehension for trying to conceal evidence.

— Mike Darnay, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Their first drive against the Central Michigan Chippewas stalled, with a sack and a pair of penalties hindering the possession, and Central Michigan made its way down the field for a field goal.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of hindering

Verb

Enzymes need direct contact with food to do anything, so swallowing one on an empty stomach delivers almost no benefit.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
Seven Chicago-area residents died after swallowing Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide in September 1982.

— Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of swallowing

Verb

Things escalate as the two share a car ride home from a fancy gala and the bad man yells at her for embarrassing him.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Neither party acted on it; Republicans wanted to avoid embarrassing Trump, while Democrats wanted to avoid embarrassing Nancy Pelosi, whose husband is an active trader.

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of embarrassing

Verb

The henchmen are tying up loose ends after eliminating Kerry’s father, who informed on the Gotham crew to avoid serving his prison sentence.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2026
For the people who loved the Detroit native and aspiring actress -- her mother, Katie Mattic, and sisters Jean Neal, Frances Douglas, Vivian Mattic and Virgie Binford -- that means tying up the loose ends of Margaret's life.

— Nicole Avery Nichols, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026