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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About a third of adult immigrants reported skipping or postponing health care in the past year, according to a KFF/New York Times poll released in November.—
Phil Galewitz,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026 -
These conditions pose challenges for travel, so exercise extra caution on the road or consider postponing your trip if possible.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bushman, who was posted with the CDC, got a medical waiver delaying her deployment on account of stress and grief.—
Amy Maxmen,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
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His company has mitigated tariff expenses by delaying store expansion and purchasing roasting equipment before the tariffs went into effect.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And moviegoers turned out to indies from Rosemead to The Chronology of Water, All That’s Left Of You and more, new and holding over, limited, wide and top ten.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
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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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Among life’s great procrastinations, putting off making a will seems to top insignificant things like delaying cleaning the house or starting a homework assignment.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
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Mahomes on Wednesday accidentally got Chiefs fans excited about Kelce putting off retirement and returning for one more season.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Patients in Minnesota are canceling appointments and deferring critical health care needs because of fear of immigration enforcement as the federal crackdown continues, doctors say.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Just as financial advisors recommend deferring enough into a 401(k) plan to benefit from your employer's full matching contribution, there is no reason to pass this free money up.—
Jessica Dickler,Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
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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 15 Feb. 2026.
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