Hold Back
phrasal verbBase hold back · Past held back · Past Participle held back · Present Participle holding back · 3rd person holds back
Definition
1. (phrasal verb) To stop yourself from expressing an emotion or doing something you want to do.
2. (phrasal verb) To prevent someone or something from making progress or moving forward.
2. (phrasal verb) To prevent someone or something from making progress or moving forward.
Context Alive
You're sitting in a team meeting and your coworker presents the idea you shared with her last week — as if it's her own. Everyone looks impressed. You feel your face getting hot and you want to say something right there, but you hold back because you don't want to cause a scene in front of your boss. After the meeting, you go straight to the kitchen and make yourself a coffee, still annoyed but glad you didn't explode in front of everyone.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 To Stop Yourself from Doing or Saying Something (Phrasal Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about controlling yourself — keeping an emotion, a reaction, or words inside instead of letting them out. Imagine you're at a funeral and you feel tears building up, but you don't want to cry in front of everyone, so you hold back your tears and stare at the floor. This is describing the effort of stopping a natural reaction from showing. You might say "I wanted to laugh but I held back" when something funny happened at the wrong moment, or someone could say "she couldn't hold back her anger any longer" when a person finally snaps after staying quiet for too long. Or picture a job interview where the interviewer says something you completely disagree with — you hold back from arguing because you really need the job. The word suggests there's a tension between what you feel and what you show.
✏️ The most common combinations are hold back tears, hold back laughter, and hold back anger. When someone says "I couldn't hold back," it usually means they finally let the emotion out — they tried to control it but failed. The phrase always carries a sense of effort and internal struggle.
2 To Prevent Progress or Movement (Phrasal Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about something or someone stopping progress — acting as an obstacle that keeps a person or thing from moving forward. Imagine a talented student who wants to study abroad, but her parents won't let her go because they're worried — their fear is holding her back from following her dream. This is describing a barrier that prevents growth or advancement. You might hear "don't let fear hold you back" as advice to someone who's too scared to try something new, or someone could say "his lack of experience held him back" to explain why a person didn't get promoted. Or think about a runner who got injured last month — the pain in her knee is holding her back from training at full speed. The word suggests something is blocking potential that's already there.
✏️ This meaning is huge in motivational language: "nothing can hold you back," "don't let anything hold you back." It's also common in professional and academic contexts — "held back by budget cuts," "held back a year in school." In American English, being held back in school means repeating a grade because you didn't pass.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
hold back + noun → to suppress or contain something — usually an emotion
She held back her tears and smiled at the camera.
hold back from + verb-ing → to stop yourself from doing something
He held back from saying what he really thought about the plan.
hold someone back → to prevent a person from progressing or succeeding
A bad internet connection is holding students back in rural areas.
Common Structures
can't / couldn't hold back → tried to control it but failed — the emotion came out
When she saw her childhood home again, she couldn't hold back the tears.
nothing can hold someone back → nothing will stop this person from succeeding
She's so determined — nothing can hold her back.
be held back by + noun → to be prevented from progressing because of something
The project was held back by a lack of funding.
Collocations
10 collocationshold back tears
to stop yourself from crying
hold back laughter
to stop yourself from laughing at an inappropriate moment
hold back anger
to suppress feelings of anger instead of showing them
hold back emotions
to keep your feelings inside and not express them
hold back information
to deliberately not share facts or details with someone
hold back the truth
to avoid telling someone what really happened
hold someone back
to stop a person from achieving or moving forward
held back by fear
prevented from acting because of being afraid
nothing holding you back
no obstacles or barriers stopping you
hold back a smile
to try not to smile when it's not appropriate
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
She held back her tears during the speech and only cried when she got to the car.
She managed not to cry during the speech and only let the tears out once she reached her car.
2
Don't let fear hold you back from applying for that job — you're more than qualified.
Don't let being scared stop you from going for that position — you've got all the skills they need.
3
I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought, but I held back because it wasn't the right time.
I was desperate to say what was on my mind, but I kept quiet because the timing was wrong.
4
His shyness has always held him back in job interviews.
Being shy has always been a barrier for him when meeting potential employers.
5
The company is holding back important details about the deal from its employees.
The company is deliberately keeping key information about the deal from its workers.
6
She couldn't hold back a smile when she heard the good news.
She was unable to stop herself from smiling when she got the positive update.
7
Poor infrastructure is holding back economic growth in the region.
Weak infrastructure is preventing the area's economy from developing.
8
He held back from joining the argument even though he strongly disagreed.
He stopped himself from getting involved in the debate despite feeling the opposite.
9
There's nothing holding you back now — go and do what you've always wanted.
There are no more obstacles in your way — go and chase your dream.
10
The whole audience was trying to hold back laughter during the serious presentation.
Everyone in the room was struggling not to laugh in the middle of the formal talk.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsrestrain
more formal — often used for physically or emotionally controlling yourself or someone else
suppress
stronger — pushing feelings down completely so they don't show at all
hinder
more formal — used for obstacles that slow down or block progress
Antonymslet go
to release emotions or control instead of keeping them inside
express
to openly show feelings instead of hiding them
encourage
to support and push someone forward — the opposite of holding them back