hold off

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hold off

The team decided to hold off their decision until the next meeting.

Definition
  1. Verb (transitive): To resist or keep someone or something at a distance; to prevent from advancing or succeeding.
  2. Verb (intransitive): To delay or postpone an action; to wait.
Usage
  • As a transitive verb, "hold off" is followed by a direct object (the thing or person being resisted).
    • We must hold off the competition.
  • As an intransitive verb, it is often followed by a prepositional phrase (e.g., "on," "until") or an infinitive ("to") to indicate what is being delayed.
    • Let's hold off on a decision.
    • He decided to hold off until he had more information.
Examples
  • Transitive usage (resisting):
    • The small garrison managed to hold off the enemy attack for three days.
    • I'm trying to hold off my hunger until dinner time.
  • Intransitive usage (delaying):
    • If the rain holds off, we can have our picnic.
    • The company will hold off on launching the new product until next quarter.
Advanced Usage
  • "Hold off on (something)": A common phrase meaning to delay a specific action or decision.
    • The board decided to hold off on the merger talks.
  • "Hold off (someone/something) for a period": To successfully resist for a specific duration.
    • They held off the creditors for another month.
Variants and Related Words
  • Holdout (noun): A person or group that resists agreement or refuses to accept something.
    • He was the last holdout against the new policy.
Synonyms
  • Delay, postpone, put off, defer (for the "wait" meaning).
  • Resist, repel, fend off, keep at bay (for the "resist" meaning).
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Hold back: To hesitate or to prevent something from progressing. (Similar to "hold off" in the sense of restraint, but "hold back" often implies an internal hesitation or a physical restraint, while "hold off" often implies an external threat or a planned delay).
    • She held back her tears. (Internal restraint)
    • The dam held back the floodwaters. (Physical restraint)
  • Hold on: To wait (often on the phone) or to grip tightly.
    • Hold on a moment, please.
Related Idioms
  • Hold the line: To maintain a position, especially against opposition or difficulty. This is related to the "resist" meaning of "hold off."
    • Our job is to hold the line on spending this year.
hold off

The team decided to hold off their decision until the next meeting.

Verb
  1. wait before acting
    • the scientists held off announcing their results until they repeated the experiment
  2. resist and fight to a standoff
    • Dallas had enough of a lead to hold the Broncos off

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