withhold
Americanverb (used with object)
-
withholds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
withheld,
past participle, past
-
withholding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
withholds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
withheld,
past participle, past
-
withholding
present participle
-
to hold back; refrain.
-
to deduct withholding tax.
verb
-
(tr) to keep back; refrain from giving
he withheld his permission
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(tr) to hold back; restrain
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(tr) to deduct (taxes, etc) from a salary or wages
-
to refrain or forbear
Synonym Usage
See keep.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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withholdsimple
-
withholdssimple
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have withheldperfect
-
has withheldperfect
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am withholdingprogressive
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are withholdingprogressive
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is withholdingprogressive
-
have been withholdingperfect progressive
-
has been withholdingperfect progressive
Past
-
withheldsimple
-
had withheldperfect
-
was withholdingprogressive
-
were withholdingprogressive
-
had been withholdingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of withhold
First recorded in 1150–1200, withhold is from the Middle English word withholden. See with-, hold 1
Explanation
If you keep something back and don't share it, you withhold it. You can withhold things such as permission, emotion, or information. You might get into trouble if you withhold information from your parents or the police. The verb withhold means to deduct from a payment and hold back. Your job will withhold money from your paycheck for things like taxes. You may also choose to withhold money from your check for healthcare, retirement, and numerous other voluntary accounts. The past tense of the verb withhold is withheld. Withhold is spelled with a double h because it is made by combining the words with and hold.
Vocabulary lists containing withhold
The Pearl
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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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.
See Examples For:
I had already given myself the thing they were threatening to withhold.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Southern postmasters thus continued to withhold antislavery periodicals, with the tacit approval of Jackson protégé Kendall.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
"We also have to be willing to slow down or withhold further scaling when our confidence in safety is not sufficient," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Pace Gallery founder Arne Glimcher threatened to withhold future art donations from the museum unless the exhibition was canceled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Unable to withhold myself I cried out, “I don’t know what I was going to do. I wanted to gain my liberty. And with God’s help I would have, if not for you.”
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Amazon repeated a statement it made in response to the initial report, saying any suggestion that it intentionally withholds country-of-origin information is incorrect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The horror was captured by several cameras, images from which Mr. Gibney withholds until the dizzying climax of the film.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The challenge is that each employer withholds taxes independently, which can leave you underwithheld by Tax Day.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Today, the court holds that one exception — the postal exception — prevents individuals from recovering for injuries based on a postal employee’s intentional misconduct, including when an employee maliciously withholds their mail,” Sotomayor wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
He withholds nothing that is really for their good.
From Practical Religion Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians by John Charles Ryle
In June, the oversight body filed the lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department asking for a judge to order the release of the withheld records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
But even that outdoor time was sometimes withheld when her classmates “behaved poorly”—a common disciplinary tactic that the national guidance recommends against.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
She said a post mortem examination took place on Saturday but the result had been withheld for investigation reasons.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Another important caveat: If you claim Social Security before reaching FRA and you are still working, your wages can lead to some of your benefits to be withheld.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
“I pledge a secret withheld for a single bit of advice for my friend.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
From a modest family, he dreamt of becoming a computer engineer to "change his life", he told AFP, withholding his surname because "the fear is still there".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Cowin’s own restraint and withholding yield images of distilled power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Hamilton ruled that it had only "partially complied" with FOI legislation by "failing to provide a complete response" to the request and "incorrectly withholding" some details.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
He registered for Connecticut tax withholding for his nurses, according to court records.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The lack and the hunger floated around us like a cloud, withholding everything—all hope, all satisfaction, every single drop of cleansing rain.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
