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Antonyms for hold off


Grammar : Verb
Spell : hohld
Phonetic Transcription : hoʊld



Definition of hold off

Origin :
  • Old English haldan (Anglian), healdan (West Saxon), "to contain, grasp; retain; foster, cherish," class VII strong verb (past tense heold, past participle healden), from Proto-Germanic *haldanan (cf. Old Saxon haldan, Old Frisian halda, Old Norse halda, Dutch houden, German halten "to hold," Gothic haldan "to tend"), originally "to keep, tend, watch over" (as cattle), later "to have." Ancestral sense is preserved in behold. The original past participle holden was replaced by held beginning 16c., but survives in some legal jargon and in beholden.
  • Hold back is 1530s, transitive; 1570s, intransitive; hold off is early 15c., transitive; c.1600, intransitive; hold out is 1520s as "to stretch forth," 1580s as "to resist pressure." Hold on is early 13c. as "to maintain one’s course," 1830 as "to keep one’s grip on something," 1846 as an order to wait or stop. To hold (one's) tongue "be silent" is from c.1300. To hold (one's) own is from early 14c. To hold (someone's) hand "give moral support" is from 1935. Phrase hold your horses "be patient" is from 1844. To have and to hold have been paired alliteratively since at least c.1200, originally of marriage but also of real estate.
  • As in pigeonhole : verb categorize; shelve
  • As in postpone : verb put off till later time
  • As in prevent : verb keep from happening or continuing
  • As in procrastinate : verb delay, put off doing
  • As in avoid : verb refrain or stay away from; prevent
  • As in protract : verb extend, draw out
  • As in put off : verb defer, delay
  • As in rebuff : verb turn away; give the cold shoulder
  • As in rebut : verb argue against; prove wrong
  • As in refuse : verb deny; say no
  • As in remit : verb stop, postpone
  • As in repel : verb push away; repulse
  • As in repulse : verb push away
  • As in resist : verb withstand, oppose
  • As in shelve : verb defer, postpone
  • As in stall : verb delay for own purposes
  • As in stymie : verb frustrate, hinder
  • As in table : verb postpone a proposition
  • As in waive : verb give up; let go
  • As in ward/ward off : verb defend, guard
  • As in withstand : verb endure, bear
  • As in hold back : verb repress
  • As in stave off : verb fend off
  • As in hang back : verb be reluctant
  • As in stave : verb prevent
  • As in adjourn : verb stop a proceeding
  • As in deflect : verb bounce off; turn aside
  • As in discourage : verb deter, dissuade; restrain
  • As in hesitate : verb wait; be uncertain
  • As in hold back/hold off : verb repress
  • As in hold up : verb postpone

Synonyms for hold off

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019