hold off
[verb]
Synonyms: fend, keep off, rebuff, rebut, repel, repulse, stave off, ward (off), defer, adjourn, delay, postpone, prorogue, put off, remit, shelve, stay, suspend

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English Thesaurus: delay, postpone, put off, hold off, defer, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

hold off phrasal verb (see also hold)

1. to delay doing something:
Buyers have been holding off until the price falls.
hold off (on) doing something
Hold off making your decision until Monday.

2. hold somebody ↔ off
a) to prevent someone who is trying to attack or defeat you from succeeding:
Not even a gun could hold him off forever.
b) to prevent someone from coming towards you or succeeding in speaking to you:
There’s already a crowd of reporters outside – I’ll try to hold them off for a while.

3. if rain or bad weather holds off, it does not start, although it looked as if it would:
The rain held off until after the game.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

delay to wait until a later time to do something:
He decided to delay his decision until he had seen the full report.
postpone to change an event to a later time or date:
The meeting was postponed.
put off to delay doing something. Put off is less formal than delay or postpone, and is the usual phrase to use in everyday English:
I used to put off making difficult decisions.
The game has been put off till next week.
hold off to delay doing something, especially while you are waiting for more information or for something else to happen:
House buyers seem to be holding off until interest rates drop.
defer formal to delay doing something until a later date, usually because something else needs to happen first:
The decision had been deferred until after a meeting of the directors.
She decided to defer her university application for a year so that she could go travelling.
procrastinate /prəˈkræstəneɪt, prəˈkræstɪneɪt/ formal to delay doing something that you ought to do:
Don’t procrastinate – make a start on your assignments as soon as you get them.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hold off
hold off (something)
to delay something.
They're hoping to hold off surgery until he's stronger.

I hope the rain holds off until we get home.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

hold off something
hold off (something)
to delay something.
They're hoping to hold off surgery until he's stronger.

I hope the rain holds off until we get home.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

hold off
1. delay, not begin
The concert will be held off until next week.

2. keep away by force
The man was able to hold off the police for several hours before he was arrested.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

hold off
v.
1a. To refuse to let (someone) become friendly.
The president's high rank and chilly manner held people off.
Compare: KEEP AT A DISTANCE.
1b. To be rather shy or unfriendly.
Perkins was a scholarly man who held off from people.
Compare: KEEP AT A DISTANCE.
2. To keep away by fighting; oppose by force.
The man locked himself in the house and held off the police for an hour.
3. To wait before (doing something); postpone; delay.
Jack held off paying for the television set until the dealer fixed it.
Mr. Smith held off from building while interest rates were high.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲