hold off

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verb (adverb)

(tr) to keep apart or at a distance

(intr often foll by from) to refrain (from doing something)he held off buying the house until prices fell slightly

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Words nearby hold off

holding paddock, holding pattern, holding tank, hold it, hold no brief for, hold off, hold on, hold one's breath, hold one's end up, hold one's fire, hold one's head high

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use hold off in a sentence

Blacks would hold about 13 percent of the seats and Latinos 17 percent.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tomorrow they should hold placards of the cartoons Charlie Hebdo had printed.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yeah, the “Giant man-puppy” that is Gronkowski won't hold a sexual candle to the blue-eyed dreamboat.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Most of the men leaped up, caught hold of spears or knives, and rushed out.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
He was too drowsy to hold the thought more than a moment in his mind, much less to reflect upon it.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
A far-off volley rumbled over the plain, and a few birds stirred uneasily among the trees.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
One adorable smile she gave him, and before he could advance to hold the door for her, she had opened it and passed out.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Not being sufficiently numerous to hold out the town as well as the Alamo, they retreated into the latter.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

Other Idioms and Phrases with hold off

hold off

Keep at a distance, resist, delay, as in This payment should hold off the creditors. [Early 1400]

Stop or delay from action, as in Let's hold off until we know more. [c. 1600]

hold off

Words nearby hold off

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How to use hold off in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with hold off