hold off (on)

as in to postpone
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off (on)
Verb
  • Billy Joel postpones his tour due to an undisclosed medical condition: ‘My health must come first.’ At Southwest Airlines, bags will no longer fly free. Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times.
    Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
  • That meeting was scheduled to last for an hour, but a later executive order signing ceremony was postponed, with the president not speaking with reporters all day as stocks tumbled.
    Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • With Kyiv losing its grip on the western Russian region of Kursk, its sole territorial bargaining chip, many believe that Putin may be delaying talks on the ceasefire proposal until the region is firmly back under Russian control.
    Nic Robertson, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Under a special rule, IRA owners and participants born after December 31, 1950, and who turned 73 in 2024, can delay their first RMD until April 1, 2025.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This, even after Trump opted to defer his initial 25-percent duties on Canadian products until early April.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Over 100 employees at the Office of Federal Student Aid accepted buyouts in February as part of a Trump administration deferred resignation program​, draining the department of experienced staff when borrowers need help the most.
    Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The colossal system will put over 100 million people at risk of severe weather, from blizzard conditions in the northern Plains to tornadoes and wildfires in the South.
    Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The hood was put over Sigmon's head, and an employee opened the black pull shade that shielded where the three prison system volunteer shooters were.
    Jeffrey Collins, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hold off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!