How to Use hold back in a Sentence

hold back

verb
  • This is the kind of movie that gives and gives but holds back, too.
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Some of them are held back and some of them are forced out.
    — Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
  • Of course, fans and critics didn't hold back in the tweet's replies.
    — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 5 Apr. 2021
  • Carmichael didn’t hold back throughout the rest of the show either.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 10 Jan. 2023
  • Watson mustn’t hold back or be afraid to rock the boat.
    — cleveland, 15 Jan. 2023
  • But they were all swept up in the moment, and didn’t hold back.
    — Steve Lopez Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2021
  • Aaron, 26, watched Chelsea and Ivan kiss and could not hold back his anger.
    — Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, 21 Sep. 2021
  • The Ravens will not hold back as many players this time.
    — The Enquirer, 11 Jan. 2023
  • The intent to hold back the tide may cost Democrats big time in the midterm elections.
    — Chicago Tribune, 21 Nov. 2024
  • O’Rourke does not hold back in connecting the links on the chain.
    — Lee Drutman, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2022
  • When Glaser asked if that was hard, Lopez didn’t hold back.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 9 Oct. 2024
  • Now is not the moment to hold back but to be brave and real.
    — Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 2 Aug. 2024
  • Of course, Donna knew her son wouldn't hold back in front of Swift.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Her blond hair was glossy and straight, her bangs held back with a barrette.
    — Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023
  • With that in mind, Barca did not hold back in the second leg.
    — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The cast did not hold back, and the audience was starving for it and loved it.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 June 2025
  • Don’t hold back — this is your moment to put your ideas out there.
    — Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 May 2025
  • The buck held back for a bit, until 10 more does emerged from a thicket and walked straight to the food pile.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 12 Dec. 2024
  • As the audience gushed, the youngster tried (and failed) to hold back tears.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 22 June 2022
  • Even more than the clothes, the outrage brought out the fire in a band not known for holding back onstage.
    — Spin Staff, SPIN, 21 Dec. 2023
  • If there is anything that could hold back the Blazers it’s turnovers.
    — oregonlive, 9 Nov. 2022
  • Rick Ross did not hold back in his latest rant against 50 Cent.
    — Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 13 Mar. 2025
  • But the Israelis did not view the deal as firm enough to hold back the invasion.
    — Peter Baker, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
  • That's when the topic of Garner's first kiss came up—and the actor did not hold back.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 6 Feb. 2022
  • Ukraine is short of troops on the front lines and is straining to hold back the bigger Russian army.
    — Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
  • One thing an Aries Mercury doesn’t do, though, is hold back.
    — Alice Sparkly Kat, Allure, 27 Oct. 2021
  • Fallon asked what fans can expect from the show, and Halsey didn’t hold back.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 14 Feb. 2025
  • But her friends and family do not hold back in Breath of Fire.
    — Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
  • As her son Devon Gibson, 7, walked up to get his diploma, mom Whitney Barnes trained her cell phone’s camera on the moment and could barely hold back her tears.
    — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025
  • Treating it like a mind game, keeping one’s cards close to the vest, always holding back, and refusing to be vulnerable is what has brought us here.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 25 June 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hold back.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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