hold off (on)

verb

Definition of hold off (on)next
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hold off (on)
  1. postpone
  2. delay
  3. defer
  4. put over
Verb
  • Zoom in: Wedding cancellation insurance covers nonrefundable expenses when couples have to cancel or postpone because of unforeseen circumstances, like a hurricane or illness.
    Yacob Reyes, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Trump's sentencing in New York, following his conviction on charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 election, was postponed indefinitely following Trump’s reelection last month.
    Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of postpone
Verb
  • More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more canceled Thursday at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Without the ability to evaluate creditworthiness upfront, businesses often onboard high-risk clients who are likely to delay payments, switch to a competitor or default.
    Ashish Srimal, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of delay
Verb
  • Federal officials would not provide details about the patient’s symptoms, deferring all inquiries to Louisiana’s Department of Public Health. Emails and calls to that agency went unanswered.
    Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
  • In the last admissions cycle, approximately 83% of those who applied to Harvard early were deferred.
    Christopher Rim, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Definition of defer
Verb
  • The matter has been put over to February, and prosecutors are expected to consider assault charges against Gao in connection with the police shooting incident well before then.
    Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2024
  • The federal government put over $800 billion to help state governments navigate the pandemic.
    Carlos Waters, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024
Definition of put over
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near hold off (on)

hold off

hold off (on)

hold on

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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 31 Dec. 2024.

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