1
as in delay
an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business
there'll be a holdback on production until the new machinery is fully installed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the only holdback to starting the new job is my contractual commitment to my current position
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to hamper
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the only thing holding them back from joining the swim team is lack of transportation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
held back her tears until she was alone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of holdback
Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
If the house is not sold after 180 days, the company retains what remains of the 30% holdback.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
The Dodgers struggle to hold back the Giants and give up three runs in the seventh and ninth innings of a 9-3 loss to rival San Francisco.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holdback
Noun
Add curtain holdbacks with playful animal details, or top your door hinges with decorative hinge caps for a knowing wink of whimsy.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
If the house is not sold after 180 days, the company retains what remains of the 30% holdback.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
Typically, end effectors have been holding back robotics from applying the pressure successfully, but Peterson said the vision system paired with AI has enabled the robots to better identify items and determine the proper pounds per square inch (PSI) needed to grab an individual SKU.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
The Dodgers struggle to hold back the Giants and give up three runs in the seventh and ninth innings of a 9-3 loss to rival San Francisco.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for holdback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holdback
Noun
-
The delays in filling housing through the city’s lottery have knock-on effects beyond the apartments not going quickly to the people who need them.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Consumers can track a package or rideshare driver in real time, yet hospitals still struggle to reliably exchange imaging studies, authorization records and clinical documentation without delays, duplication or manual intervention.—
Demetri Giannikopoulos,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
But as the necessities of their jobs begin to push them farther apart, truckdriving becomes a serious obstacle to their budding relationship.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
The incidents involving contact with chains, trailer hitches, poles, and curbs indicate recurring limitations in detecting smaller or irregular obstacles, especially during reversing maneuvers.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Jeincic also rejected CalPERS claims that the now-defunct transparency bill supported by RPEA would have significantly hampered the fund.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
That stifles competition at home and, with China’s dependence on global consumption, raises concerns about dumping and deflation abroad.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
Embarrassed in the first period, stifled in the second, the Avs did something that almost never happens in this town with this team.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Others focused on the park-wide outage itself, with some guests sharing frustrations about long waits and ride shutdowns throughout the day.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
There are no state regulations preventing voters from bringing a furry companion along for the wait.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The former junkyard is seen as ripe for future redevelopment, but an environmental clean-up is clearly a costly hurdle to be cleared.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
Regular New Yorkers don’t care about the reasons for the bureaucratic hurdles.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Goalkeeper Bernd Leno was the victim both times, impeded by Kevin Schade and then Igor Thiago.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
In the Jazz Age, the culture and the style that Bradley was soaking up every night were information that white performers craved, but which racial segregation impeded them from accessing.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Dramatic currents, once suppressed, here bloom unashamed.—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
-
Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holdback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holdback. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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