- hold back (on something)
- hold back (on something)to withhold something; to give or take only a limited amount. •
Hold back on the gravy. I'm on a diet.
•That's enough. Hold back. Save some for the others.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
hold back (on something)
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hold back — 1) PHR V ERG If you hold back or something holds you back, you hesitate before you do something because you are not sure whether it is the right thing to do. [V P] The administration had several reasons for holding back... [V n P] Melancholy and… … English dictionary
hold back from doing something — hold back (from (doing something)) to avoid doing something. Unable to hold back, we screamed with laughter. We were worried about viewers reactions, so we held back from broadcasting the show … New idioms dictionary
hold back from doing something — ˌhold ˈback (from doing sth) | ˌhold sb ˈback (from doing sth) derived to hesitate or to make sb hesitate to act or speak • She held back, not knowing how to break the terrible news. • I wanted to tell him the truth, but something held me back.… … Useful english dictionary
hold back from — hold back (from (doing something)) to avoid doing something. Unable to hold back, we screamed with laughter. We were worried about viewers reactions, so we held back from broadcasting the show … New idioms dictionary
hold back — (from (doing something)) to avoid doing something. Unable to hold back, we screamed with laughter. We were worried about viewers reactions, so we held back from broadcasting the show … New idioms dictionary
hold back — hold (something) back to keep something secret. They talk about everything and hold back nothing … New idioms dictionary
hold|back — «HOHLD BAK», noun, adjective. –n. 1. a thing that holds back; restraint; hindrance. 2. the act of restraining or preventing action. 3. an iron or strap on the shaft of a wagon or carriage to which the harness is attached, enabling a horse to hold … Useful english dictionary
hold back — verb 1. hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of (Freq. 4) Arrest the downward trend Check the growth of communism in South East Asia Contain the rebel movement Turn back the tide of communism • Syn: ↑check, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
hold back — phrasal verb Word forms hold back : present tense I/you/we/they hold back he/she/it holds back present participle holding back past tense held back past participle held back 1) [transitive] to stop someone or something from moving forwards Ollie… … English dictionary
hold back on sth — UK US hold back on sth Phrasal Verb with hold({{}}/həʊld/ verb (held, held) ► to wait for a period of time before doing something: »We held back on the product release until the third quarter … Financial and business terms
hold back — I (Roget s IV) v. 1. [To restrain] Syn. inhibit, control, curb; see check 2 , prevent , restrain 1 . 2. [To refrain] Syn. desist, hesitate, forbear; see abstain , avoid . II (Roget s Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To have and maintain in one s… … English dictionary for students
