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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off (on)
Verb
  • Schumer, who leads the Democrats in the Senate minority, postponed his book tour after facing outrage from the Democratic base for supporting a Republican spending bill.
    Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • But Libby's amendments were not even considered, and Democrats moved to have the amendments indefinitely postponed.
    Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Broken cross-department collaboration exacerbates inefficiencies, delaying decision-making and execution.
    Joao Mendes-Roter, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
  • To save its melting glaciers, China has used technology including snow blankets and artificial snow systems, to delay the melting process.
    Reuters, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Those duties will take effect next week unless Trump opts again to defer them or reaches a deal with the other countries’ heads of state.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 27 Mar. 2025
  • To oust her, the government needs to reconvene after deferring the matter to the same committee that appointed her and hearing its recommendation.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Our only hope is for Bayley to put over the IC Champ at WrestleMania.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Amazon has an arbor set that comes with artificial white flowers and drapery to put over the arch.
    Christopher Murray, Fox News, 21 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Hold off (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hold%20off%20%28on%29. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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