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.
Ahead of the decision to hold off on the new tariffs, analysts had been forecasting that Trump would back down.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Recovering impressively both physically and mentally from that shock, she showed great maturity to hold off Hodgkinson in the tense closing stages - while breaking a championship record that had stood since 1982.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Most Asian stocks rose Friday as another soft US inflation reading solidified expectations the Federal Reserve will hold off hiking interest rates, while a further drop in oil prices added to the upbeat mood.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The nonprofit filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit, requesting the county hold off on euthanizing Bruce until the court heard the case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He had to hug his arms close to his side to hold off the shivering.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
