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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of held back
The tide, however, has turned around since 2024 after former ECB President Mario Draghi’s report for the European Commission, which argued that Europe’s economy is being held back by outdated competition rules.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
His wife and sister held back tears as the prosecution discussed surveillance video that allegedly showed Castellanos and another person chasing Lopez toward 3rd Street and Everett Street before attacking him.
—Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Past Presidents held back on attacking Iran for fear of damaging America’s legitimacy or its interests, broadly construed.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2026
Bocelli joins a list of others in the opera and ballet space, including Misty Copeland, who have not held back in criticizing Chalamet for his commentary.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Brown then charged at Ford and actively fought being held back by his teammates and Celtics security.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Over several days of testing the MacBook Neo, I’ve rarely been held back by its transplanted iPhone brain.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
While the skirmish was going on, Tre White had to be held back by KU assistant Tony Bland, and White did not seem pleased as the two exchanged some words.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
Instead, Hera held back Herakles’s birth so his cousin, now born first, would inherit the crown instead.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
His wife and sister held back tears as the prosecution discussed surveillance video that allegedly showed Castellanos and another person chasing Lopez toward 3rd Street and Everett Street before attacking him.
—Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Past Presidents held back on attacking Iran for fear of damaging America’s legitimacy or its interests, broadly construed.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2026
Bocelli joins a list of others in the opera and ballet space, including Misty Copeland, who have not held back in criticizing Chalamet for his commentary.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Brown then charged at Ford and actively fought being held back by his teammates and Celtics security.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Over several days of testing the MacBook Neo, I’ve rarely been held back by its transplanted iPhone brain.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
While the skirmish was going on, Tre White had to be held back by KU assistant Tony Bland, and White did not seem pleased as the two exchanged some words.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
Instead, Hera held back Herakles’s birth so his cousin, now born first, would inherit the crown instead.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for held back
Verb
-
Crew searched by air and by water for people who had been stranded — efforts that were hampered by people flying personal drones to get images of the flooding, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Ruggieri notes that exports are being hampered by financing issues, high logistics costs and a lack of competitiveness resulting from external tariffs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The future Hall of Famer had been successfully stifled in the second half of Monday’s game, with the Lakers double-teaming him into five turnovers and just two points.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Two changes in particular stifled condo construction.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Modernizing the agricultural system and the goal of getting land to produce is also hindered by legal limitations.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated March 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Efforts have also been hindered by the military’s refusal to provide information about their whereabouts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That means speech around controversial issues, diet and fitness, mental health topics, sexuality, and much more will be suppressed.—
Elizabeth Nolan Brown,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
-
This structural scaling suppressed unwanted charge trapping and leakage currents, ensuring the chip remains electronically stable even under intense, high-dose gamma exposure.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Among other things, the plaintiffs argue ingress via Billings Road should not be impeded or limited to La Cantera residents.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Hungry for travel and unaware of his history of mental disturbance—a habit of firing pistols during classes for deaf pupils had impeded his progress in Scottish schools—Muriel agreed to follow him to Southern Rhodesia, where the couple were married the following year.—
Miranda Seymour,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The storm blasted down riverbeds, blew out bridges and roads and swallowed vehicles.—
Matt Gutman,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
That was substantial, but the council swallowed hard and agreed.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tonight’s ceremony had none of the major dramatic mishaps that have both embarrassed the Academy Awards’ organizers and affirmed the event’s status as must-see live TV.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The Americans were left to root for the same team that embarrassed them, and that team delivered.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Key raw materials — like helium used in making computer chips, and sulfur, a raw material in fertilizer — have been obstructed and could be in short supply soon, raising the prices of goods all the way down the supply chain.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
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But a few factors complicate his path to the majors, perhaps most notably being obstructed by Bryce Harper at first base.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Held back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/held%20back. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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