1
as in hampered
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 stifled
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
held back her tears until she was alone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of held back
Maggie certainly never held back.
—
Maggie Fremont, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
That doesn’t include those held back for opponents’ fans, student overflow and other promotions that could be released for sale.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
However, rev was held back as supply constraints impacted iPhone in the qtr.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
And the same behaviors and structures that have held back board diversity elsewhere apply in AI.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
The center, Slaughter, briefly held back tears.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Some of the plasma was held back and applied topically in a mask.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2025
Some, like the Rokid Glasses, come close—but they're consistently held back by technical shortcomings, clunky controls, and a lack of refinement.
—PC Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
She was wrestled away from him as her crying children were held back by other agents.
—Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held back
Verb
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This isn’t the first time injuries have hampered Norfleet.—
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All of these issues combined have left Target with a workforce that has grown faster than sales and a complex corporate structure that has hampered decision-making and created needless red tape.—
Verb
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But lately teams have stacked the box and stifled the run against Carolina.—
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The deal was completed as the Bay Area hotel market battles against a wave of loan defaults, plunging prices and property foreclosures that have stifled purchasing activity and new development.—
Verb
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Historically, the water’s purity was singular, giving life to a watershed that flourished because of a unique paucity of nutrients, a situation that hindered the pursuit of any single species that would dominate the rest.—
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Normally, scent voices are mere whispers compared to the screams and angry shouts of humans, but in that section, certain sensitive plant species shrieked incessantly because of their proximity to plants that hindered their growth.—
Verb
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The fresh evidence of how internal dissent was suppressed for the sake of diplomatic relationships exposes a broader crisis of impunity for crimes committed against journalists, and the failure of states to hold other states accountable.—
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This may have resulted in cooling that had until now suppressed the sublimation of water ice to steam.—
Verb
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As a result, the water vapor in that impeded breath condenses on the surface of your immediately-adjacent prescription glasses, sunglasses or ski goggles.—
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Adding palbociclib, however, blocked this adaptation and impeded the cancer cells’ ability to survive.—
Verb
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The most famous, perhaps, was of lung cancer patient David Prueitt, who swallowed a supposedly lethal dose of medication and awoke three days later.—
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Developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the pill can report when it has been swallowed.—
Verb
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French authorities have arrested several suspects after a frantic manhunt for the men who staged a spectacular daytime heist at the Louvre museum that gripped the world and embarrassed the government in Paris.—
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The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1.—
Verb
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Ocean views have been obstructed, streets are more crowded, parking is harder to find, and buildings are more tightly packed in less space.—
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To spawn, salmon must swim hundreds or even thousands of miles upstream from the ocean, and in the Columbia River and its many tributaries, their path is obstructed by a massive network of hydroelectric dams.—
Cite this Entry
“Held back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20back. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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