to hold off
78
3.8
- phrasal verb
- /hoʊld ɔf/
:
esperar
- We should hold off on making a decision until we have all the facts.
- decide to hold off
- hold off on deciding
- hold off on buying
So just please hold off next week probably.
- So just please hold off next week probably.
- Obviously, our goal is to hold off until middle school.
- And this would tell you trust your gut, maybe hold off.
- So it's, it's safer, if that is your concern, to hold off.
- And you, when you're in the same position, you know, until you're there, hold off on it.
- I've I've held off from back surgery, but I've had two right knee replacements.
- Anything maybe hold off on it's not as necessary.
- I'm not sure how long my brother can hold off action.
Examples
-
So that just means that we're going to hold off on launching, right?
-
um, do you mind just holding off before you call my dad?
-
Obviously, our goal is to hold off until middle school.
-
So just please hold off next week probably.
-
You know, we're gonna hold off till we eat more.
-
Then again, maybe we ought to hold off for just a second.
Fiction book (1996) -
Experts believe more people are probably holding off paying until the actual day the payment is due.
Blog text (7) -
I think I'm going to hold off on skills for now.
-
But I think we should hold off on any more test flights until we figure out something else.
-
I'd like to hold off judgment until all the facts are in.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To stay in one place or delay action until something happens
∞
1.3
To wait for a short time during a phone call
562
1.4
To make something happen later than planned
166
4.3
To delay doing something on purpose to get more time
113
2.9
Delay something until a later time
111
3.4
To wait a short time or keep going through a hard time
83
3.9
To delay doing something until someone answers or a situation changes
47
5.6
To stop shooting or attacking and wait before taking action
37
4.2
To wait before doing something
34
4.2
Delay making a decision about something while thinking about it
22
7.4
Wait patiently and stay calm during a delay
16
3.5
Wait before doing something because you feel unsure
15
5.5
To delay something until a later time
11
5.8
To delay a plan or project for a while
6
4.8
To delay doing something to get more time
2
7.9
To delay something and keep it for later use
1
5.6
To delay dealing with something until later and make it less important
1
4.6
To keep something for use or sale after its planned time
1
8.2
Delay deciding about something to avoid commitment
1
7.2
Tell someone to wait and be patient
Delay making a decision by waiting instead of choosing
To wait before acting and risk losing a chance
Wait for a good chance before acting
To wait until tomorrow to do something instead of doing it now
Antonyms
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
hold + off
The meaning 'to resist and prevent an opponent from succeeding or advancing' is directly derivable from combining 'hold' (to restrain or keep) with 'off' (away, at a distance), yielding the sense 'keep at bay' or 'repel'. This follows a common English phrasal-verb composition that is cross-linguistically transparent, so an average B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrasal verb hold off comes from the picture of holding something away with your hands: hold means 'keep' and off means 'away'. If you physically hold something off, you stop it for a time, so the phrase came to mean 'to delay' or 'to wait'.