1
as in turning back
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2
as in putting off
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding off
Verb
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Once your pair crunchy snap peas with peppery arugula, a sweet and zippy homemade dressing, and garlicky toasted breadcrumbs, there is no turning back.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026 -
So, crude oil imported to California from the Gulf Coast states must first sail east to the Bahamas before turning back west to California.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Funk and Vater say these tasks are worth putting off until the last threat of freezing temperatures has passed.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
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As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, Ukraine’s birth rate is collapsing, with increasing number of people struggling with fertility or putting off the decision to have children.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To fill the space, models are turning away from doomscrolling (there’s enough doom and gloom in the news right now) and toward novels.—
Arden Fanning Andrews,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
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The United Kingdom has started strictly enforcing its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), turning away travelers without the digital form.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Vrabel first held a press conference at a podium inside the Indiana Convention Center before breaking off into a less formal side session with local reporters later.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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While that thankfully hasn't been the case this year, the county did have a hit-and-run involving a semi breaking off a snowplow mirror.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Use contact paper or shelving liners to prevent crumbs and residue from building up on shelves.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
4 Mar. 2026
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The form dates back to the early 1960s (designed by Fritz Haller and Paul Schaerer) and is still made in Switzerland today, coming in smaller sizes like the one seen here and longer shelving units with open and closed storage options.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tabling the bill means legislators are postponing the matter and might not revisit it this session, but could bring it up again later.—
Morgan Matzen,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
5 Mar. 2026
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Ekko Astral are postponing their second album, The Beltway Is Burning.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Carlson also missed the excitement Friday, when the Ducks surmounted deficits of 2-1 and 5-4, scoring in the final minute before withstanding a barrage – and a four-on-three power play – in overtime to edge past the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
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Such is life for a Celtics team that doesn’t have the highest ceiling (a Jayson Tatum medical miracle withstanding) but has arguably the highest floor of any team in the East.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The substantial-evidence standard, used by the federal appeals court, looked at whether an immigration judge’s finding had evidence to support it, deferring nearly all of the fact-finding and evaluation of the person’s asylum claim to the immigration judge’s proceedings.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Mar. 2026
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The Houston Astros gave Smith periodic pregame work in center field but did not play him there, deferring the idea with a prospect already navigating a move from the infield.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
24 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Holding off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20off. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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