Hold Back

Definition: Hold Back

Hold Back

Verb

1. Hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of; "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth of communism in SE Asia"; "Contain the rebel movement"; "Turn back athe tide of communism".

2. Keep under control; keep in check; "suppress a smile"; "Keep your temper"; "keep your cool".

3. Wait before acting.

4. Keep in one's possession.

5. Hold back; keep from being perceived by others, as of emotions or expressions of emotions; "She conceals her anger well".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Law

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Hold Back

Avoidance

Shrink back; hang back, hold back, draw back; recoil; retire; (recede); flinch, blink, blench, shy, shirk, dodge, parry, make way for, give place to.

Dissuasion

Disincline, indispose, shake, stagger; dispirit; discourage, dishearten; deter; repress, hold back, keep back; (restrain); render averse; repel; turn aside; (deviation); wean from; act as a drag; (hinder); throw cold water on, damp, cool, chill, blunt, calm, quiet, quench; deprecate.

Hindrance

Difficulty; insuperable; obstacle; estoppel; ill wind; head wind; (opposition); trammel, tether; (means of restraint); hold back, counterpoise.

Parsimony

Verb: be parsimonious; Adjective: grudge, begrudge, stint, pinch, gripe, screw, dole out, hold back, withhold, starve, famish, live upon nothing, skin a flint.

Restraint

Verb: restrain, check; put under restraint, lay under restraint; enthral, enthrall, inthral, inthrall, bethral, bethrall; restrict; debar; (hinder); constrain; coerce; (compel); curb, control; hold back, hold from, hold in, hold in check, hold within bounds, keep back, keep from, keep in, keep in check, keep within bounds; hold in leash, hold in leading strings; withhold.

Retention

Secure, withhold, detain; hold back, keep back; keep close; husband; (store); reserve; have in stock, have on hand, keep in stock; (possess); entail, tie up, settle.

Store

Reserve; keep back, hold back; husband, husband one's resources.

Crosswords: Hold Back

We ents cannot hold back the storm. (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; writing credit: Frances Walsh)

I can't hold back, I won't back down (I Can't Hold Back; performing artist: Survivor)

So don't hold back just have a good time (Escapade; performing artist: Janet Jackson)

Why you're trying to hold back baby? (The Right Kind of Love; performing artist: Jeremy Jordan)

Don't hold back (Dancing On the Ceiling; performing artist: Lionel Richie)

Tryin to hold back these feelings for so long (Let's Get It On; performing artist: Marvin Gaye)

Hold Back the Night (1956)

I Can't Hold Back (performing artist: Survivor)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Hold Back This Day (reference)

• Hold Back Time [DOWNLOAD: ADOBE READER] (reference)

• Words Left Unspoken: What We Hold Back (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• Can't Hold Back (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Sand bags hold back water flow while the fishway is installed. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center.

Secret service agents try to hold back the crowds that surge forward to watch President Johnson dance with the First Lady at the inaugural ball at the National Guard Armory [...]. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

That whoever had one foot in the grave was sure to hold back the other as strongly as he could.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Business

Due to further increases in the price of gasoline over recent months, however, consumers have started to hold back with their purchases of 4WDs and, instead, are beginning to purchase mid-size vans. Demand for pick-up trucks and full-size vans remains negligible. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression using "hold back": hold back inflation. Additional references.

Afrikaans

agterhou (keep back, withhold). (various references)

Albanian

përmbaj (carry, check, choke, comprise, constrain, contain, control, Cork, detain, deter, embrace, feature, gulp, hold, hold in, include, incorporate, pocket, repress, restock, restrain, stay), nuk jap paratë, frenoj (apply the brakes, be an obstacle to, bit, brake, check, choke up, clog, contain, control, Cork, damp, delay, detain, deter, fetter, guard, hamper, hang up, hedge in, hold, hold in, inhibit, interrupt, keep in, put back, rein, retard, set back, stay put, stem, stop), e mbaj brenda. (various references)

Arabic 

‏كبت (bridle, check, contain, down, hold, inhibit, inhibition, keep, keep back, repress, repression, restrain, restraint, stifle, subdue, suppress, suppression, withhold), ‏كبح (arrest, bridle, check, contain, control, curb, hamper, hinder, hold, inhibit, inhibition, keep back, keep down, keep under control, leash, master, press, prevent, rein, repress, repression, restrain, restraint, steady, subdual, subdue, suppress, suppression, tame, withhold), ‏منع (averting, ban, banning, bar, barring, block, debar, deny, deprive, deter, estop, exclude, forbade, forbid, forbiddance, forbidding, foreclose, hinder, hindering, immunize, inhibit, interdict, interdiction, keep from, obstruct, obstruction, obviation, preclude, prevent, preventing, prevention, prohibit, prohibition, proscription, restrain from, stop, taboo, veto, ward off, withhold), ‏قيد (bind, bond, bridle, chain, check, confine, derestrict, enchain, entry, fetter, handcuff, impose restrictions on, item, limit, limitation, manacle, qualify, record, register, restrain, restrict, restriction, rope, set bounds to, set down, shackle, tie, tie up), ‏تاخر عن, ‏تأخر (be delayed, be in arrears, be late, go slow, lag, late, lateness, leeway, loiter, retard, tardiness). (various references)

Bulgarian 

скривам (cache, conceal, dissemble, enshroud, hide, hoard, obscure, plant, put back, screen, secrete, sink, stash, sweep under the carpet, tuck away, veil), спирам (arrest, bit, block, brake, bring to, bring to rest, bring up, call a halt, cease, check, come to a halt, come to rest, cut, cut off, cut short, die, discontinue, draw up, drive up, dwell, end, fix, go phut, halt, hang up, heave to, hold in, immobilize, impede, inhibit, intervene, keep off, kill, leave off, lock, occlude, preclude, prevent, pull in, pull up, put in, quash, quit, run down, snub, stint, stop, suppress, suspend, trammel, trig, withhold), забавям (arrest, cool, defer, delay, detain, hang up, hold off, hold over, inhibit, postpone, put back, put over, retard, set back, sidetrack, slacken, slow, slow down, stave off, steady), задържам (apprehend, arrest, can, contain, detain, deter, entrap, hold, hold off, hold over, hold up, immobilize, inhibit, keep, keep away, keep back, keep down, occlude, press back, reserve, restrain, retain, trig), премълчавам (elide, pass over, save one's breath, suppress), държа се настрана. (various references)

Chinese 

憋 (hold in, restrain, stifle, to choke, to hold), 屏 (get rid of, keep control, put aside, reject, screen), 保留 (continue to have, maintain, reservations, reserve, retain, to preserve). (various references)

Czech

zatajit (conceal, hide, suppress), zadržet (check, force back, keep, keep back, retain, stop, tie up, withhold), váhat (be in a dither, delay, dither, falter, hang back, hesitate, procrastinate, scruple, shilly shally, stagger, temporize, vacillate, waver), potlaèit (contain, cork up, crush, fight down, hold in, inhibit, keep in, mince, put down, quash, quell, quench, repress, scotch, smother, snuff out, stamp out, stifle, stop, subdue, suppress, tame), omezovat (bound, delimit, hedge around, inhibit, stint, tie down), držet se stranou (keep away, make oneself inconspicuous), bránit se (fight back, offer resistance). (various references)

Danish

opholde (detain, retain). (various references)

Dutch

weerhouden (detain, retain), terughouden (detain, retain), reserveren (book, detain, reserve, retain), ophouden (cease, come to an end, detain, end, end up, expire, extend, retain, stop, strech out), ingehouden bedrag, detineren (detain, retain), achterhouden (keep back, withhold). (various references)

Esperanto

reteni (detain, retain), kaŝgardi (keep back, withhold). (various references)

Faeroese

halda frá (detain, retain), halda eftir (detain, retain), taka (conquer, detain, get, lay hold of, pick up, retain, take). (various references)

Finnish

urakkasopimukseen liittyvä takuumaksu. (various references)

French

se réserver, rester en arrière, réprimer, endiguer, étouffer, élingue de retenue. (various references)

Frisian

benefterhâlde (keep back, withhold), ôfhâlde (detain, retain). (various references)

German

zurückhalten (abstract, detain, hold, hold in, keep, keep back, refrain, repress, restrain, retain, retard, suppress, to hold back, to refrain, to reserve, to retard, withheld, withhold, withholds). (various references)

Greek 

κρατώ πίσω, δείχνω απροθυμία. (various references)

Hebrew 

ל�"מ� ע מל�'לות, לבלום (brake, restrain, stop). (various references)

Hungarian

háttérben marad (to efface oneself, to keep back, to keep in the shade), visszatart (contain, detain, hold, hold in, hold off, keep in, recoup, restrain, retain, retard, to check, to contain, to detain, to entrap, to hold back, to keep back, to keep from, to pocket, to pull, to pull up, to recoup, to repress, to restrain, to retain, to stay, withhold), feltartóztat (contain, delay, impede, intercept, keep back, to arrest, to contain, to delay, to hang up, to hold up, to impede, to intercept, to waylay), eltitkol (conceal, dissemble, to conceal, to hold back, to keep from, to suppress, to wrap), akadályoztatás (hindrance, incapacitation, let). (various references)

Italian

trattenuta (deduction), trattenere (Bate, contain, curb, deduct, detain, deter, entertain, hold, hold off, keep, keep oneself, pull in, remain, restrain, retain, suppress, withhold), ritenere (account, assume, believe, calculate, consider, consider oneself, count, deem, detain, feel, hold, keep, refrain, retain, withhold). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

控える (to be temperate in, to draw in, to hold back, to make notes). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

くいとめる (to check, to hold back), ひかえる (to be temperate in, to draw in, to hold back, to make notes), うま�'ひかえる (to hold back a horse), うりおしむ (to be reluctant to sell, to hold back on or restrict sales of), せきとめる (to check, to dam up, to hold back, to intercept, to keep back). (various references)

Manx

tannaghtyn er ash (hang back, keep back), mooghey (blank off, blot out, blow out, choking, damp, drown, dull, expire, extinction, extinguish, gulp back, hush up, jam, quench, shut off, stamp out, stifle, suppress, switch off, turn off), cummal er ash (hold over). (various references)

Pig Latin

oldhay ackbay

Portuguese

reter (abstract, contain, detain, hold, immobilize, keep back, occlude, preserve, restrain, retain, withhold). (various references)

Romanian

piedicã (balk, bar, brake, check, clog, cumber, delay, difficulty, drag, drawback, embargo, encumbrance, fetter, hindrance, hitch, impediment, interference, jog, lock, marplot, objection, obstacle, obstruction, pull back, sear, set back, sprag, stay, stop, stopper, stopple, stumbling-bloc, trammel, traverse, trigger), pãstra pentru sine, obstacol (bar, barrier, check, clog, cumber, delay, dike, drag, drawback, encumbrance, entanglement, hazard, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impediment, interference, jog, leap, marplot, object, obstacle, obstruction, rub, snag, stay), ezita (back, boggle, crane, demur, falter, fluctuate, halt, hang, hesitate, hobble, pause, scruple, shilly shally, stagger, stand off, stand on, sway, vacillate, veer, waver, wobble). (various references)

Russian 

удерживать (coerce, dam back, deter, hold, hold in, keep back, recoup, restrain, withhold), сдерживаться (control oneself, hold in, refrain), сдерживать (bottle up, check, coerce, constrain, control, dam back, hold in, hold in check, inhibit, keep, keep in check, moderate, rein back, rein in, repress, restrain). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zadržati (delay, detain, dwell, hold down, impeach, keep, keep back, reserve, restrain, retain, stem, stop, withhold), uzdržati se (abstain, contain, forego, refrain, restrain oneself), obuzdavati (restrain), držati u rezervi. (various references)

Spanish

retener (carry, detain, hoard up, hold, hold on to, keep, keep back, prevent, retain, to deter, withhold). (various references)

Swedish

hejda (arrest, check, head off, hold, impede, inhibit, intercept, keep back, stop), hålla tillbaka (bate, check, force back, keep down, rein in, restrain), dra sig undan (draw away, draw back, fight shy of). (various references)

Thai

ไม่เต็มใจทำ (baulk), สกั�"กั้น, ทำให้ถ�"ถอย, ทำให้ล่าช้า (hold, keep back), ปิ�"บัง (blindfold, cover, enshroud, obscure), ควบคุมความรู้สึก (take a grip). (various references)

Turkish

zaptetmek (bridle, capture, contain, govern, hold down, hold in, keep down, possess oneself of, reave, seize, stifle, subjugate, suppress, swallow), tutmak (abide by, add up to, affect, Bate, be, bespeak, bind, book, catch, charter, check, choke, choke back, choke down, choke off, claw hold of, clench, clutch, cog, cohere, come to, confine, constrain, contain, cost, cramp, engage, Favor, favour, figure out at, fish, gather, get hold of, grapple, grasp, grip, guard, hang onto, hire, hire on, hold, hold in, hold on, hold on to, hold up, inhibit, intercept, keep, keep back, keep down, keep in, keep to, occupy, play, play on, play upon, possess, redeem, remand, reserve, restrain, retain, save, seize, seize on, stanchion, stick, stick to, stifle, strangle, support, take, take up, tot up, total, uphold, withhold, work out at), tedbirli olmak, saklamak (blind, Bury, cloak, conceal, disguise, enshrine, harvest, hide, keep back, keep smth. quiet, keep smth. under wraps, keep snug, lay down, obscure, plant, put by, put out of sight, screen, secrete, shelter, stash, stash away, stow away, suffuse, tuck away), söylememek (keep back, not to say, not to tell), kendini tutmak (contain oneself, forbear, get hold of oneself, hold in, keep calm, keep from, possess oneself, refrain, restrain oneself), durdurmak (abort, arrest, baulk, block, bring short, call a halt, call off, cease, check, choke back, choke down, choke off, collar, Crimp, deactivate, discontinue, draw up, give over, halt, hold up, intercept, intermit, jam, jugulate, lock, paralyse, paralyze, pull in, pull up, put a stop to, shut off, stanch, staunch, stay, stem, still, stop, Stow, suppress, suspend), çekinmek (beware, boggle, chicken out, dread, fear, flee from, flinch, funk, get cold feet, hang back, have cold feet, hesitate, hold off, keep clear of, shrink, shun, shy, wince, withdraw). (various references)

Turkmen 

jylawlamak (hold back (something), rein in). (various references)

Ukrainian

утримуватися (abstain, desist, forbear, forego, forgo, refrain from, restrain oneself, waive, withhold), затримка (arrest, backing, back-set, balk, check, delay, impediment, objection, retardment, retention, setback, stay, throw back), перешкода (back-set, baffle, balk, bar, barricade, barrier, block, bridle, check, clog, contrariety, countercheck, cramp, cumber, dike, disability, discouragement, drawback, dyke, encumbrance, handicap, hindrance, hitch, interference, leap, marplot, nuisance, obex, objection, obstacle, obstruction, obstructive, occlusor, preclusion, pullback, stop, trammels, traverse, wall). (various references)

cessa, cessabant, cessabis, cessabit, cessabunt, cessamus, cessantibus, cessare, cessarit, cessassent, cessasset, cessat, cessate, cessatum, cessaverat, cessaverit, cessaverunt, cessavi, cessavimus, cessavit, cessavitque, cessem, cessent, cesseris, cesses, cesset, cessetque, cesso, cohibebant, cohibebo, cohibeo, cohibere, cohibita, detineo, freno, praecessor, reprehendere, reprehenderit, reprehendit, reprehendo, reservo, retento, retentum, retine, retineas, retinebit, retinens, retinent, retinentes, retinere, retines, retinet, retinete, retinetis, retinuerit, retinueritis, retinuit, sustenta, sustentas, sustine, sustineam, sustineant, sustineas, sustinebant, sustinebat, sustinebimus, sustinebis, sustinebit, sustinebitis, sustinebo, sustinebunt, sustinemus, sustinens, sustinent, sustinentes, sustinentiae, sustinentiam, sustinentibus, sustineo, sustinere, sustineretis, sustines, sustinet, sustinete, sustinetis, sustinuerant, sustinuere, sustinuerint, sustinuerit, sustinuero, sustinuerunt, sustinui, sustinuimus, sustinuissem, sustinuisset, sustinuisti, sustinuistis, sustinuit. (various references)

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: holdback.

-3 letters: acold, ahold, black, block, chalk, cloak, dobla, loach.

-4 letters: bach, back, bald, balk, blah, bloc, bock, bola, bold, calk, calo, chad, chao, clad, clod, coal, coda, cola, cold, dahl, dhak, dhal, dock, hack, halo, hock, hold, holk, kohl, kola, lack, lakh, load, loca, loch, lock.

-5 letters: abo, ado, alb, bad, bah, bal, boa.

+1 letter: blockhead, holdbacks.

+2 letters: blockheads, chalkboard.

+3 letters: chalkboards.