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
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withholdssimple
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have withheldperfect
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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:
If your husband had not yet reached full retirement age when he retired, Social Security can withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 he earns above the annual limit.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Also known by its rather unsubtle acronym, CRUSH, this initiative is taking unprecedented steps to withhold and defer funds in response to suspected fraud.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Officials must also disclose whether they intend to withhold any requested records and give statutory or legal reasons for doing so.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
It is a request for faith that Buchanan and Tullock’s public-choice theory gives us every reason to withhold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Murray would not withhold royalties as his first publisher had, and he would not make Charles pay him to have his books published, as some other publishers did.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Every ton China withholds is a ton removed from the market, driving up prices.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
The challenge is that each employer withholds taxes independently, which can leave you underwithheld by Tax Day.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
She by and large withholds judgment from their conclusions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
"I thought about resigning. But I need this money," said 48-year-old bus driver David, who withholds his surname for fear of reprisal.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025
Why do we depend solely upon his magnanimity, and succumb miserably when he withholds it?
From Only a Girl: or, A Physician for the Soul. by Wilhelmine von Hillern
But the justices withheld final judgment on the merits of the case pending further litigation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
If you’re under 59½, having taxes withheld from the Roth conversion can also create a 10% early-distribution tax on the amount withheld.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
David Hamilton said the board had only partially complied with the request and had "incorrectly withheld" some details, which he has ordered to be released.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
OPEC’s closely watched monthly report comes after OPEC+ producers agreed to raise output again in September, a move that would complete the group’s planned return of voluntarily withheld barrels to the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Harry could tell that he had withheld mention of this strangest power until that moment, determined to impress.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
They presumably think they are being kind; they are withholding the one thing the writer needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
But now a federal judge in Ohio is withholding approval of the decree, saying he first wants to review the latest evidence and won’t “rubber stamp” the deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Plummer’s Getty is imperious and withholding, refusing to pay the ransom for his kidnapped grandson and seemingly puzzled that anyone would expect him to.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
A direct rollover has no immediate tax implications, does not require withholding, and is not subject to the one-rollover-per-12-month rule.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
It was the economist Milton Friedman who helped come up with a solution to this one: automatic tax withholding from employees’ paychecks.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
