withholds

VERB

keep back

Synonyms

STRONGEST

conceal deduct deny detain hide keep refuse resist retain suppress

STRONG

abstain bridle check constrain curb disallow hold inhibit kill refrain repress reserve restrain spike

WEAK

clam up dummy up hold back hold down hold out hold out on keep secret keep to oneself keep under one's hat keep under wraps sit on stop oneself

Antonyms

STRONGEST

allow disclose divulge expose free go along grant lay bare let go let out open release reveal show tell uncover

STRONG

aid assist help indulge liberate permit use

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To satisfy the taxes, the company withholds a certain number of shares from the employee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Someone who withholds too little will have to pay the remainder of their tax bill — possibly also penalties and interest if they withheld far too little.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 21, 2025

"I thought about resigning. But I need this money," said 48-year-old bus driver David, who withholds his surname for fear of reprisal.

From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025

But when an empathetic person suddenly withholds affection, it’s perceived as an act of unkindness.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2025

The man who plunders the soil is in very truth a robber, for he takes that which is not his own and he withholds food from the mouths of generations yet to be born.

From Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress at Saint Paul, September 5-8, 1910 by United States. National Conservation Congress