hold off
verb
held off; holding off; holds off
1
: to block from an objective : delay
2
: to defer action on : postpone
hold off a decision
3
: to fight to a standoff : withstand
: to defer or temporarily stop doing something
Examples of hold off in a Sentence
we held off on accepting the invitation in the hopes that something better would come along
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Que, a regional director at a home appliances factory in the southern city of Guangzhou, says his company has held off selling to the U.S. market for now, due to concerns over volatility.
—
Emily Feng, NPR, 27 May 2025
Those who traditionally hire in the summer may hold off this year.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
Until there's clarity on SAVE, consider holding off major moves like this unless necessary.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The time for a change was March, but Rossini held off.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold off
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emily Feng, NPR, 27 May 2025
Those who traditionally hire in the summer may hold off this year.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
Until there's clarity on SAVE, consider holding off major moves like this unless necessary.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The time for a change was March, but Rossini held off.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hold off
Cite this Entry
“Hold off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20off. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share