withheld 1 of 2

adjective

as in suppressed

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withheld

2 of 2

verb

past tense of withhold
1
as in denied
to be unwilling to grant must withhold official approval until all the proper forms have been submitted

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in retained
to continue to have in one's possession or power withhold some money for your own expenses

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 withheld
Adjective
The withheld funding supports election monitoring, independent media and other pro-democracy programs abroad. — Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
The district is at risk of losing nearly $70 million in federal funding if it is found teachers or administrators withheld information related to a student’s gender identity, NBC affiliate KSHB reports. — Daniella Silva, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026 Democrats withheld their votes first to pressure Republicans to extend expiring subsidies for health insurance premiums, prompting a 43-day shutdown that ended in November. — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, under the pretext of preventing fraud, the federal government has repeatedly withheld funding to Minnesota, freezing, for example, nearly two hundred million dollars of Medicaid spending for the state in July. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 The man's identity is being withheld until his family is notified, police said. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026 The federal government withheld $160 million in transportation funding after California delayed revoking the licenses. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 There’s a lot of information withheld from the viewers until near the end, like the fact that Alice had some similar experiences to Catherine. — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026 Some Republicans have expressed alarm about the findings in the report, which was filed under seal and withheld from the public by the courts. — Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026 With the election fast approaching, Scholten and some other Democrats have withheld their support for El-Sayed for now. — Joey Cappelletti, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for withheld
  1. suppressed
  2. denied
  3. retained
  4. reserved
  5. refused
  6. kept
  7. concealed
  8. rejected
Adjective
  • General Manager Ken Holland hinted at potentially being done after trading center Phillip Danault for a draft pick in December and acquiring Panarin at a suppressed price in February, though he has been known to under-promise often and, sometimes, over-deliver.
    — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of suppressed
Verb
  • That group, early on, looked for equity in the pages of the Arkansas Gazette's society section, urging the publication to feature Black brides, who had previously been denied photos on the section front.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The fundraising push came nearly two weeks after a judge denied Anthony’s request for a new trial.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of denied
Verb
  • West Ham also retained club captain Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos, while Arne Engels, Manor Solomon, Joel Piroe and Divine Mukasa were their headline summer additions.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Impressively, Fever retained the Dax's single-channel front ABS system by machining custom wheel-speed sensor discs and fabricating mounts for both the ABS module and the factory tip-over sensor.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of retained
Adjective
  • Moody, who served as Florida’s attorney general when the settlement was approved, struck a more reserved note, appearing to distance herself from the investigation.
    — Liv Caputo, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Guzman Soto was quiet, reserved and religious and regularly attended local church groups and Bible studies, a 32-year-old neighbor who declined to give his name said.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of reserved
Verb
  • Sheriff’s officials said the gunshot victim did not cooperate with investigators and refused to provide information about the incident.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Federal authorities first agreed to a joint investigation, but Justice Department officials later refused to cooperate with state police, deeming any review of the fatal shooting unnecessary.
    — Megan Rose, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Spurs kept a clean sheet, an achievement to build on after shipping five in their opening two, and looked solid, if a little unimaginative in midfield.
    — Elias Burke, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • As the Yeomen continued losing games last year, the larger college-football machine kept humming at campuses across the country.
    — Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of kept
Adjective
  • Retractable or concealed handles now appear on cars from American, European, Korean and Chinese manufacturers.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • In another instance, investigators identified a gray button on a test-taker's shirt as a concealed camera.
    — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 25 June 2026
Definition of concealed
Verb
  • The decision follows a separate antitrust ruling last year, when a judge rejected calls to force Google to divest Chrome.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos,Drew Troast, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Newcastle made an offer to Marseille for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in early August, though the 31-year-old rejected the move.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rejected

Browse Nearby Words

withers
withheld
withheld (from)
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Cite this Entry

“Withheld.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/withheld. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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