withhold

/wi 'hould/

Thân thiện

The father is withholding the allowance until the son cleans his room.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To refuse to give something that is due or desired: To deliberately hold back or keep something from someone.
   • To deduct or retain from a payment: To keep back a portion, especially of money, for a specific purpose (e.g., taxes).
   • To restrain or hold back (an action, emotion, or information): To choose not to express, disclose, or act.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The bank can withhold funds if the account is under investigation.
  • The government withholds a portion of your salary for income tax.
  • She decided to withhold her opinion until she had more information.
  • He withheld the news of his promotion from his family as a surprise.

Advanced Usage

• "To withhold judgment": To delay forming or stating an opinion.
  • The committee decided to withhold judgment until all the evidence was presented.
• "To withhold consent/permission": To refuse to give agreement or authorization.
  • The landlord withheld consent for the tenant to have a pet.
• "To withhold evidence" (Legal context): To fail to disclose information or proof relevant to a case.
  • The witness was accused of attempting to withhold evidence from the court.

Variants and Related Words

• Withholder (noun): A person or entity that withholds something.
  • The tax withholder is responsible for submitting the deductions.
• Withholding (noun): The act of holding something back; specifically, the portion of income not paid to an employee.
  • The increase in tax withholding reduced his net pay.

Synonyms

• Retain: To continue to hold or keep.
• Deduct: To take away (an amount) from a total.
• Conceal: To keep something secret; to hide.
• Refrain: To stop oneself from doing something.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Withhold" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms

• "To withhold one's hand": To refrain from taking action or intervening.
  • Despite the provocation, the leader withheld his hand to avoid escalating the conflict.
• "To withhold the truth": To not tell someone what you know.
  • It is sometimes kinder to temporarily withhold the truth from a sick person.

Học thuật

Verb

1. retain and refrain from disbursing; of payments
   • My employer is withholding taxes
2. hold back; refuse to hand over or share
   • The father is withholding the allowance until the son cleans his room

Từ đồng nghĩa

• deduct
• recoup
• keep back