hold back

Verb

hold back (third-person singular simple present holds back, present participle holding back, simple past and past participle held back)

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To act with reserve; to contain one's full measure or power.
   • Don't hold back. Hit it as hard as you can.
   • The TSSA union, which along with the RMT represents many of the staff affected by the closures, hasn't held back on its criticism.2023 October 4, Mel Holley, “Network News: Conservative MPs criticise ticket office closure plans”, in RAIL, number 993, page 23

   Synonyms:

   pull punches

2. (idiomatic, transitive) To contain; stop.
   • The dam can't hold back that much water.
   • I was swallowing hard to hold back the tears.
3. (idiomatic, transitive) To delay the progress of, especially in school.
   • He's a year older than his classmates, because he was held back in second grade.