hold off
Britishverb
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(tr) to keep apart or at a distance
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to refrain (from doing something)
he held off buying the house until prices fell slightly
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Keep at a distance, resist, delay, as in This payment should hold off the creditors . [Early 1400]
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Stop or delay from action, as in Let's hold off until we know more . [c. 1600]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Read: Why did the Fed hold off on raising interest rates?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The couple decided they didn’t want to hold off on kindergarten, where their son could get help from an aide and other support at their local school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
But America’s 72 million children, as well as their parents, should probably hold off on the celebrations for now.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
Raman and four other council members also appeared personally before the county supervisors asking them to hold off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
He had Abraham Lincoln, back in the White House, counting on him to hold off the Confederate march toward Washington.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
