1
as in impeding
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifling
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 holding back
Encourage open discussion about assumptions that may be holding back projects or growth.
—
Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
But the tenacity of Kyiv’s forces in holding back the Russian summer offensive has been a remarkable outlier, and wider Russian progress remains a fierce possibility in the weeks ahead.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
From lighting and paint colors to shutters and roofing, the smallest details might be holding back your home’s potential curb appeal.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
This absolute confidentiality helps give penitents the confidence to approach confession forthrightly, without holding back.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Her brother Nick, however, did attend, and even seemed to be holding back tears as the WWE paid tribute to Hogan.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 6 Aug. 2025
Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
But the tenacity of Kyiv’s forces in holding back the Russian summer offensive has been a remarkable outlier, and wider Russian progress remains a fierce possibility in the weeks ahead.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
From lighting and paint colors to shutters and roofing, the smallest details might be holding back your home’s potential curb appeal.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
This absolute confidentiality helps give penitents the confidence to approach confession forthrightly, without holding back.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Her brother Nick, however, did attend, and even seemed to be holding back tears as the WWE paid tribute to Hogan.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holding back
Verb
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Some conservatives have pushed for green card holders like Öztürk or Mahmoud Khalil, who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, to face deportation, sparking criticism from free speech advocates who view those calls as impeding on their First Amendment rights.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was issued a red card in the 38th minute for impeding Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha in the box.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For Adobe, the goals are to protect creators, ensure access, and avoid stifling innovation.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Wolfe Herd’s story is somewhat different, however; Swiped is an unofficial biopic for the simple reason that key parts of the story are still subject to a stifling non-disclosure agreement, for reasons that soon become horribly clear.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After much complaining, Bungie reverted some nerfs like hampering the hyper-efficient Solo Ops farm.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Dankowski highlighted that the lack of this information would effectively mean losing one of the most important plasma diagnostic tools, significantly hampering scientific research at ITER and the safe operation of future power reactors.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The share of businesses saying that lack of transparency was hindering operations fell by 12 percentage points to 16%.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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This can lead to a sense of helplessness and fear, hindering creativity and collaboration.—
Kotter,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By solving MXene’s stability problem and suppressing chloride corrosion, the research delivers a material that balances conductivity, durability, and performance.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
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The focus of the nearly year-long legal battle has been 23XI and Front Row accusing NASCAR and CEO Jim France of suppressing the competition, and NASCAR countersued in March.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This still was a much stronger performance by the Fins than last week’s embarrassing 33-8 defeat in Indianapolis, but that was a low bar to leap.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
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The mother, being a mother, finds fault and has embarrassing politics.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Accidentally swallowing an apple seed—or even a few apple seeds—is unlikely to be dangerous.—
Heidi Moawad,
Verywell Health,
18 Sep. 2025
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Your throat could be sore or painful while swallowing for a number of reasons.—
Hannah Yasharoff,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As part of the plea deal, additional charges of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and resisting or obstructing a peace officer were dismissed, according to court records.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holding back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holding%20back. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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