as in postpones
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 holds off (on)
Verb
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Discord postpones age verification Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, is postponing its controversial age verification policy after receiving swift backlash from users with concerns about their privacy.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026 -
At a Friday court hearing for the family’s asylum case, a judge granted a continuance, which postpones the case to a later date, family attorney Danielle Molliver told CNN.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recognizing delays inherent to deployment of new, full-scale reactors, the industry and government have focused in recent years on more efficient designs, including a small modular reactor proposed by the nation’s largest public power company, the Tennessee Valley Authority.—
Matthew Daly,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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If emergency services are needed to make a repair, the full lead service line must be replaced within 30 days, or 120 days if weather delays the replacement process.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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More crucially for the island's future is that Cuba’s private sector has also relentlessly eroded the control that Cuba’s military conglomerate GAESA holds over the country’s economy.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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Releasing that control can soften the tendency to internalize life’s unpredictability as a personal failure, Jacobsen says—and also weaken the power that anxiety in your 30s holds over you.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Depending on how long the renter defers part of the payment, Livble’s fees can translate into effective annual percentage rates of roughly 104% to 139%.—
Ken Sweet,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
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One amendment to the bill adding new zoning categories defers its effective date to April 5, which Johnston said was meant to give the Planning Department enough time to put together and disseminate the map.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Holds off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holds%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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