How to Use hold back in a Sentence
hold back
verb-
If there is anything that could hold back the Blazers it’s turnovers.
—oregonlive, 9 Nov. 2022
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And a few didn't hold back when the lawyers probed for more detailed explanations.
—Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2022
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West did not hold back and even got the contour, bake, and blush application portion of the look on point.
—Chelsea Avila, Allure, 25 Nov. 2022
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The vegan foodie, actress, and mother couldn’t hold back the tears and shared her reaction video with fans.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 4 Nov. 2022
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Is there still time for COP27 to hold back climate catastrophe?
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2022
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Tie your payments to performance milestones and hold back 10% to pay upon final completion.
—Dallas News, 20 Nov. 2022
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The uncertain outlook is leading some firms to hold back on hiring, while others are cutting staff amid signs of surplus capacity.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Oct. 2022
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For now, Philadelphia will hold back Game 1 starter Zack Wheeler for a potential sixth game.
—Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Oct. 2022
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Carmichael didn’t hold back throughout the rest of the show either.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 10 Jan. 2023
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Watson mustn’t hold back or be afraid to rock the boat.
—cleveland, 15 Jan. 2023
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The Ravens will not hold back as many players this time.
—The Enquirer, 11 Jan. 2023
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Of course, Donna knew her son wouldn't hold back in front of Swift.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 29 Jan. 2024
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Her blond hair was glossy and straight, her bangs held back with a barrette.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023
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Even more than the clothes, the outrage brought out the fire in a band not known for holding back onstage.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 21 Dec. 2023
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But the Israelis did not view the deal as firm enough to hold back the invasion.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
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The film, which features an all-Asian cast, does not hold back on the vulgar and obscene.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 7 July 2023
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Don’t hold back or lose the hopes and expectations for the future.
—Catherine Galassovigorito, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024
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Two loops of these hair ties will hold back my hair—and not leave behind a telltale bend.
—Talia Gutierrez, Allure, 26 June 2024
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Flamini loves blues music, and her favorite songs help hold back her fear of the dark.
—D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2024
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Crux produced 1,600 bottles and will hold back enough to serve at its tasting rooms through the year.
—oregonlive, 17 Mar. 2023
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Alcaraz nearly threw his racket to the ground but held back at the last moment.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
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The biggest challenge, as a Gazan journalist, is to stay calm and try to hold back my tears.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 20 Oct. 2023
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At times, Flav played with the beat of the song as some of the players and officials on the court held back chuckles, clearly moved.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2023
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Guests don’t have to hold back either, since the restaurant’s two big buffets are all-you-can-eat.
—Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
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Just don’t hold back the details of your circumstances any longer.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2022
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The videos shared to her Story show her rocking a sheet mask and a headband to hold back her unruly locks.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 27 Jan. 2023
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Even without the jury present, Sassoon did not hold back.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023
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The scandals just can’t hold back a Golden Globes red carpet!
—Vulture, 7 Jan. 2024
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The splintered messages seemed intended to hold back Democratic momentum and often zeroed in on a theme that helped give Trump a sizable lead over Biden in the first place: border security.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 8 Aug. 2024
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Keeping interest rates consistently high gives consumers more reason to hold back on making big purchases, such as taking out a car loan to buy a car or taking on a mortgage to buy a home.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 5 Aug. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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