withhold

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled with-hold

US /wɪðˈhoʊld/ UK /wɪðˈhəʊld/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to refuse to give or hold back something

The witness chose to withhold the name until the trial began.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to refuse to give or hold... retain reserve keep suppress deny refuse

Opposites

grant give release provide bestow

Word family

Derived forms withholderwithholding

Related forms with hold behold

Etymology

From Middle English withholden, a compound of with- ('back, away') + hold, from Old English wiþ ('against, back') and healdan ('to hold, keep').

wiþ Old English healdan Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# withhold

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /wɪðˈhoʊld/
**IPA (UK):** /wɪðˈhəʊld/

## Meanings
1. to refuse to give or hold back something

## Examples
- The witness chose to withhold the name until the trial began.

## Synonyms
- retain
- reserve
- keep
- suppress
- deny
- refuse

## Antonyms
- grant
- give
- release
- provide
- bestow

## Derived Forms
- withholder
- withholding

## Related Forms
- with
- hold
- behold

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wiþ
- Root: healdan

## Etymology
From Middle English withholden, a compound of with- ('back, away') + hold, from Old English wiþ ('against, back') and healdan ('to hold, keep').

## AI Etymology
withhold comes from Middle English withholden, a compound of with- ('back, away') + hold, from Old English wiþ ('against, back') and healdan ('to hold, keep'). Morphologically, the word is transparent as a compound: its parts remain visible in the modern spelling, while the older history of those parts supplies the deeper ancestry. In modern use, the verb sense is "to refuse to give or hold back something", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as with, hold, behold and derivatives such as withholder, withholding, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old English wiþ, Old English healdan, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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