How to Use hold off in a Sentence

hold off

verb
Definition of hold offnext
Synonyms for hold offnext
  • But that wasn’t enough to hold off Mahomes and the Chiefs.
    — Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2022
  • Highs make the low 70s as long as the showers hold off.
    — David Streit, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Conran quickly saw that the men on the ground could not hold off the NVA for long.
    — Barry Barnett, Hartford Courant, 26 May 2024
  • If a plant's soil feels wet to the touch, hold off watering for now.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 26 May 2022
  • Is there a reason Democrats should hold off on the champagne?
    — David Faris, The Week, 18 May 2022
  • Sakkari saved two break points in the second game of the second set but couldn’t hold off Swiatek in the fourth game.
    — Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2022
  • The Celtics never trailed in the game, but had to hold off a frantic rally by the Heat, cheered by a home crowd.
    — Harold Maass, The Week, 30 May 2022
  • There’s a chance the rain will hold off until early 2023 and that First Night will be mild but dry.
    — Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Dec. 2022
  • Showers are likely to hold off until evening and should be on the light side.
    — David Streit, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2023
  • The Utes were able to build an eight-point lead with two minutes left and hold off Oregon.
    — oregonlive, 4 Mar. 2022
  • The men of the 93rd Brigade are at the forefront of efforts to hold off the Russian advance south of Izium.
    — New York Times, 1 June 2022
  • The goal is no longer just to help the Ukrainians hold off Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
    — Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 May 2022
  • The leader at the midweek point, Gary holds off some strong contenders.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2024
  • Some Democrats are holding off on taking a stance, for now.
    — Aris Folley, The Hill, 19 Dec. 2024
  • But in the meantime, the school wanted to hold off on paying Gibson’s.
    — Laura Hancock, cleveland, 9 Aug. 2022
  • Xavier had to lean on all of its parts to hold off the Bonnies, and those parts didn't bend or break under the pressure.
    — Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 30 Mar. 2022
  • So the key is hold off for the bottom and then calmly take your time buying the aftermath of the crash.
    — Clem Chambers, Forbes, 15 June 2022
  • But the congressman had to hold off the fox with an umbrella.
    — Fox News, 9 Apr. 2022
  • AccuWeather is saying the rains will hold off for most of Carb Day.
    — Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 21 May 2024
  • The Sun Devils were able to hold off a valiant comeback effort from the Mustangs.
    — Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024
  • Ukrainian drones and artillery have held off the Russians, so far.
    — David Axe, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
  • Gotham then had to hold off an OL Reign team that became more desperate as the game wore on.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2023
  • An initial stem cell transplant couldn’t hold off the cancer for more than half a year.
    — Angus Chen, STAT, 2 June 2022
  • Knicks Go, had to go all out in late stretch to hold off Stilleto Boy in a photo for second.
    — Tom Jicha, sun-sentinel.com, 29 Jan. 2022
  • The Jazz are in fourth place, trying to hold off Dallas and trying to catch Golden State.
    — Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2022
  • Retail analysts break down the best items from your list to buy in advance, and where to hold off.
    — Rachel Wolfe, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2022
  • Custer got to the lead after a late restart, holding off Justin Allgaier and Byron.
    — Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2024
  • Once leaves start to emerge it’s usually best to hold off until fall.
    — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 18 Mar. 2022
  • Still, Blackwood held off Utah’s third-period surge and won for the fourth time in five starts since joining the club.
    — Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Duffey asked the Pentagon to hold off on the aid after the call, which led to Trump’s first impeachment.
    — Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 23 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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