to hold back
17
3.2
- phrasal verb
- /hoʊld bæk/
:
reservar
- London and cities in the Netherlands, for example, already have defenses to hold back surging seas.
- hold back money
- hold back investment
- hold back toys
And then after the election, the vaccine was actually, you know, held back until after the election.
- And then after the election, the vaccine was actually, you know, held back until after the election.
- All of this I put into a program, a program that I have held back for many, many years.
- So what I'm saying here is by giving and not holding back, right?
- Then I went to Pittsburgh for three years, for which I had to hold back the story about being actually a death row experiment.
- So the pain of doing that, of holding back on like money that you didn't have is going to be significantly easier for everyone.
- As I've felt the momentum built, I've held back more tokens so I can give out free tokens to people who couldn't afford it in my Discord.
- So that that episode was held back with that program was held back, Vic died, who had been through exactly what the children in Keighley were going through.
Examples
-
To save resources for future emergencies, we must hold back some supplies.
-
The project team agreed to hold back certain decisions until further review was completed.
-
And I would always hold back on what I needed to do in life because I was so afraid to go all in.
-
And I would appreciate it if you would just hold back on any gifts.
-
Because I feel like a lot of us are held back by things maybe we don't want to carry.
-
We shouldn't hold back our best pilots.
-
You forget there's a dam up here holding back a lot of water.
Blog text (6) -
It's understandable that editors would honor the CIA's request to hold back a detail for security reasons.
Blog text (34) -
Because the penstocks can be sealed at any time, a dam can hold back excess water during stormy seasons and save it for dry ones.
-
The corners of Peter's full lips twitched as he tried to hold back a grin.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To store something for later use
∞
1.3
To keep something for someone to use later
∞
1.0
Keep something for use later
236
3.4
To keep having something such as a job or possession
210
5.1
Refuse to give something someone wants or needs
145
3.1
To keep something for a particular person or purpose
78
3.8
To wait before doing something
72
1.6
To keep something instead of selling or giving it away
37
4.2
To wait before doing something
26
2.1
Keep or save something for future use
23
3.0
Keep something to use at a later time
13
4.9
Put something in a hidden place to use later
11
5.0
To stop work on a plan or project for now
3
2.6
To put something in a safe place to use later
2
2.8
Save part of something to use later
2
7.9
To delay something and keep it for later use
1
3.5
Save money for future use
Antonyms
How Reserved
Surface Forms
Morphology
hold + back
The meaning 'to prevent someone or something from moving forward or making progress' is directly derivable from combining 'hold' (to restrain) with 'back' (indicating backward movement or prevention of forward motion). This compositional motion/restraint pattern is common in English phrasal verbs and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Hold back comes from keeping supplies at the back of a shelf for later. Imagine leaving extra food or money at the back of a cupboard so you can use it if needed; that's why it means 'to keep something in reserve for later'.