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
  • But on Wednesday, April 16, ticket holders received a message that the event was postponed.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • This reflects the trend of more Americans either opting not to have kids or postponing them until later.
    Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The deadline has been pushed several times to provide people more opportunities to get the card, and then subsequently delayed through COVID.
    Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2025
  • However, the brothers will still have a resentencing hearing soon, provided it does not get delayed again.
    Kate Nalepinski, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the carrier will defer deliveries of new aircraft if they are hit with tariffs.
    Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Jeff Cox,Christina Wilkie,Erin Doherty,Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Beyond the Status Quo: Rebuilding Strategic Autonomy For decades, both major political parties have deferred substantive structural reform.
    Joel Shulman, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Lynch could return to challenge or put over someone for the U.S. title.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Because his drug was a gene therapy, public grant money and private philanthropy played an especially central role, with the National Institutes of Health alone putting over $450 million into science related to SMA.
    Robin Fields, CNN, 17 Feb. 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 21 Apr. 2025.

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