How to Use hold back in a Sentence
hold back
verb-
Carmichael didn’t hold back throughout the rest of the show either.
— Selome Hailu, Variety, 10 Jan. 2023 -
Watson mustn’t hold back or be afraid to rock the boat.
— cleveland, 15 Jan. 2023 -
The Ravens will not hold back as many players this time.
— The Enquirer, 11 Jan. 2023 -
O’Rourke does not hold back in connecting the links on the chain.
— Lee Drutman, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022 -
When Glaser asked if that was hard, Lopez didn’t hold back.
— Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 9 Oct. 2024 -
Now is not the moment to hold back but to be brave and real.
— Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 2 Aug. 2024 -
Of course, Donna knew her son wouldn't hold back in front of Swift.
— Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 29 Jan. 2024 -
Her blond hair was glossy and straight, her bangs held back with a barrette.
— Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023 -
As the audience gushed, the youngster tried (and failed) to hold back tears.
— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 22 June 2022 -
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 -
If there is anything that could hold back the Blazers it’s turnovers.
— oregonlive, 9 Nov. 2022 -
But the Israelis did not view the deal as firm enough to hold back the invasion.
— Peter Baker, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023 -
But her friends and family do not hold back in Breath of Fire.
— Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024 -
The film, which features an all-Asian cast, does not hold back on the vulgar and obscene.
— Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 7 July 2023 -
And many didn't hold back in their criticism of the NFL franchise.
— Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 29 July 2022 -
Her mother looks on fighting to hold back tears of her own.
— Alaa Elassar, CNN, 30 May 2022 -
Don’t hold back or lose the hopes and expectations for the future.
— Catherine Galassovigorito, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024 -
Two loops of these hair ties will hold back my hair—and not leave behind a telltale bend.
— Talia Gutierrez, Allure, 26 June 2024 -
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 -
Crux produced 1,600 bottles and will hold back enough to serve at its tasting rooms through the year.
— oregonlive, 17 Mar. 2023 -
As for the albums themselves, they were not held back by the lack of visuals.
— Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024 -
Alcaraz nearly threw his racket to the ground but held back at the last moment.
— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023 -
The biggest challenge, as a Gazan journalist, is to stay calm and try to hold back my tears.
— Anna Gordon, TIME, 20 Oct. 2023 -
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 -
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 -
Just don’t hold back the details of your circumstances any longer.
— Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2022 -
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 -
The captain did not hold back in his frustration after the game.
— Don Riddell, CNN, 13 Sep. 2024 -
With stacks of set pieces ranging from kooky to crazy, this doesn’t hold back with the Venomenal action.
— Michaela Zee, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024 -
After thanking his teammates, coaches and family, Joe went out of his way to pay homage to his hometown of Athens, Ohio while holding back tears.
— Kelsey Conway, The Enquirer, 23 Oct. 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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