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.
But a similar property in the complex was already on the market and wasn’t selling, prompting him to hold off on listing his.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Chicago White Sox: The most improved team in baseball is desperately trying to hold off the Guardians and win a division title after finishing last two years in a row.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Those interests achieved a one-year reprieve, but I suspect they won’t be able to hold off these innovations for long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Both main contracts fell more than two percent Monday as Bessent's comments appeared to suggest the US will hold off military action, but they ticked higher in early Asian trade.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
“It might take two weeks, and it might be tomorrow. But if she feels any pressure, she’ll hold off just to prove a point.”
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
