SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN verb (used with object), with·held, with·hold·ing. to hold back; restrain or check.
to refrain from giving or granting: to withhold payment.
to collect (taxes) at the source of income.
to deduct (withholding tax) from an employee's salary or wages.
verb (used without object), with·held, with·hold·ing. Origin of withhold First recorded in
1150–1200, withhold is from the
Middle English word
withholden. See
with- ,
hold1 Related forms with·hold·er , noun un·with·held , adjective noun that part of an employee's tax liability withheld by the employer from wages or salary and paid directly to the government.
Show More
Origin of withholding tax First recorded in 1940–45
Also called withhold·ing.
Related forms un·with·hold·ing , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for withholding Contemporary Examples of withholding One reason for withholding information was the president had no intention of shutting down the initiative.
Government officials have no allowable reasons for withholding critical data from lawmakers.
The official—and maybe even legitimate reason—for withholding those facts is that the case is still under investigation.
For first-time users, withholding this kind of information can get them into trouble.
LeAnn Rimes Rimes sued her father/manager in 2000 for withholding millions of dollars of her earnings.
Historical Examples of withholding The withholding of the father's blessing, in the Bible, was curse.
He seemed oddly struggling with some withholding uncertainties of his own.
This was natural enough, for they had most to gain by withholding payment.
It distinctly recommended the withholding of the annual supplies.
Did she, like the rest of them, suspect me of seeking to frustrate his suit by withholding his fortune?
Dross Henry Seton Merriman
British Dictionary definitions for withholding verb -holds , -holding or -held (tr) to keep back; refrain from giving he withheld his permission
(tr) to hold back; restrain
(tr) to deduct (taxes, etc) from a salary or wages
(intr usually foll by from ) to refrain or forbear
Show More
Derived Forms withholder , noun noun tax deducted at source from income, esp from dividends, paid to nonresidents of a country, which may be reclaimed if a double-taxation agreement exists between the country in which the income is paid and the country of residence of the recipient
US a portion of an employee's tax liability paid directly to the government by the employer
Show More
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
Word Origin and History for withholding v. c.1200, from with- "back, away" (see with ) + holden "to hold" (see hold (v.)); probably a loan-translation of Latin retinere "to withhold." Related: Withheld ; withholding . Past participle form withholden was still used 19c.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
The tax withheld (or deducted) directly from one's paycheck.
Show More
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations