holding off

verb

present participle of hold off
1
as in turning back

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in putting off

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding off
  1. turning back
  2. putting off
  3. turning away
  4. breaking off
  5. withstanding
  6. shelving
  7. resisting
  8. postponing
Verb
  • Tide turns back to franchises Then the tide started turning back toward familiar waters.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Once the company and its shareholders become accustomed to such a financial boost, an environment where individual guest spending sharply increases even when domestic park attendance is soft or steady, there’s likely no turning back.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of turning back
Verb
  • Angi data shows 60 percent of consumers are now putting off projects and switching to maintenance.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Stop putting off that next step for your side hustle and find the perfect person to take your business to the next level.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of putting off
Verb
  • The need has existed and continues to grow while institutional and industry support keep turning away.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The market distress peaked in 2024 with State Farm and Farmers announcing plans to drop tens of thousands of customers, and other major insurers turning away all new customers.
    — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of turning away
Verb
  • Walker turned the corner around a defender near the sideline, breaking off a 76-yard run to get Kansas City near the Las Vegas goal line.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Experts believe Wednesday's mudslides and flash flooding across Nepal and China's Tibet region were caused by a large chunk of ice breaking off a glacier and falling into the Lhende Khola River.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of breaking off
Verb
  • The founders of Plank Hardware create hardware made to offset a kitchen’s harsh fixtures, while still withstanding the wear and tear of daily use.
    — Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The dismissals varied but building a middle order capable of withstanding a spin barrage in helpful conditions is fundamental to England’s ambitions overseas.
    — Ben Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of withstanding
Verb
  • Moreover, the wall-to-wall negative press that Zaslav generated for shelving a finished movie (which was supposedly well received in test screenings) wasn’t worth the headache, according to studio sources.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Executive Director Matt Floca denies shelving necessary work, saying inspections this summer revealed how far leaks had spread and that plans changed after a contractor’s estimate came in far above budget.
    — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of shelving
Verb
  • The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy and resisting arrest.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Establishing repeatable procedures helps create consistency, discipline and stronger long-term outcomes, while resisting the impulse to rush decisions gives you time to pay attention to the fundamentals rather than chase shortcuts.
    — Carey Bringle, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • But postponing change without knowing whom the current program reaches, whether people improve or what another year will cost is not risk avoidance.
    — Stephen Sokoler, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • As well as postponing the doc, which is produced by Voltage TV, Netflix has also pulled the trailer from its YouTube channel.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of postponing
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

holding (in)
holding off
holding off (on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Holding off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20off. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All