hold off

The phrase 'hold off' is commonly used to indicate delaying actions or maintaining distance in various contexts.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ US Voice:
πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ UK Voice:

Definition

B2General

(common)To delay or postpone something.

Example

  • Let's hold off on making a decision until we have more information.
  • They decided to hold off the meeting until next week.

B2General

(common)To refrain from taking action or making a decision immediately.

Example

  • She held off on buying the dress until it went on sale.
  • You should hold off on sending that email until you're sure about the details.

C1Confrontational

(military, informal)To resist or fend off an attack or challenge.

Example

  • The soldiers managed to hold off the enemy for three days.
  • They held off the competition with their innovative product.

B2General

(common)To keep something or someone at a distance.

Example

  • He held off the reporters with a brief statement.
  • The police managed to hold off the crowd during the protest.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "hold off":

hold backhold output offstand offhold one's firehold uphold inhold onhold overhold withhold tokeep backfend offhold firefight offon holdback offwait onhold ontobeat offhold ithold the fortward offhang onhang firehold tighthold the phonestay backhold downhead offcall offhold one's breathhold one's waterhole upholding patternhold it incall delayhold one's pisswait upwait forhands offhang offleave offstand downhang tightcool offcall off the dogsstand backhold one's peestand by