WITHHOLDS Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

withholds

verb

present tense third-person singular of withhold

as in denies

to be unwilling to grant must withhold official approval until all the proper forms have been submitted

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in retains

to continue to have in one's possession or power withhold some money for your own expenses

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of withholds The governing lottery body automatically withholds 24% of the prize, leaving the balance to be paid by the winner. — Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 Iqbal, a migrant Muslim man, drifts through a city that withholds its welcome. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 June 2026 Trump has made clear his disdain for NATO, his affection for Putin, gushes over autocrats, and withholds military support for Ukraine. — Arthur House, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2026 For a pivotal scene in which Marji publicly contradicts her teacher’s claim about political prisoners, Satrapi withholds background detail entirely, save for a whisper of trees outside a window. — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026 Refusal renames the finding, files it under welfare, trains the behavior down, passes laws foreclosing the question before anyone asks it in court, withholds broadband funding from states that try to answer it, and publishes declarations insisting the answer is already settled. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026 The state withholds a portion of Harvey’s revenue because of the city’s past failure to adequately fund its police and fire pension funds. — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 In some cases, benefit offsets (where the VA withholds part of your monthly benefit to repay a debt) can be adjusted to reduce the financial strain. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026 The episode withholds the information that the incoming stew is Ellie, notoriously explosive, competitive, and a poor receiver of feedback, until the very end. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for withholds

Verb

In the lawsuit, Kupsh acknowledges attending most of the demonstrations but denies being a ringleader, blocking anyone from campus walkways or refusing orders.

— Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Meta denies these claims, asserting human decisions guide workforce management.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of denies

Verb

That might seem like no time at all, but the corn emerges juicy, crispy, and tender and retains more of its sweetness and crunch.

— Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026
The rock retains water, allowing roots to seek out moisture during the dry summer months.

— Kathryn O’Shea-Evans, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of retains

Verb

But Buddy, the feature debut of Casper Kelly, lets the genre’s relentlessly upbeat tone slowly curdle in the opening sequence, in which one of the kids refuses to play along with day’s lesson about being brave and trying new things.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
With his final book, however, Morris refuses to draw conclusions, letting the ambiguity of Surrealists’ meanings stand.

— Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of refuses

Verb

Developed by researchers at the University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the technology keeps critical medical decisions under human control while the cockroaches navigate difficult environments.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Drapery panels in Jim Thompson’s Choisya, trimmed in Samuel & Sons, frame the couple’s vintage breakfront, which keeps Khouri’s Royal Crown Derby china within reach.

— Caroline Randall Williams, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of keeps

Verb

When a human accepts, rejects or overrides the agent, the organization can reconstruct why—not from a comment field that made sense to the person who wrote it, but from a structured record that holds its meaning after they're gone.

— Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Israel rejects this, viewing the area as disputed rather than occupied.

— Pesha Magid Reuters, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejects

Verb

Two more advisers, each of whom holds the president’s trust, are also leaving the White House within weeks.

— Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Even if El Niño’s temperature swings stayed exactly the same magnitude, its floods and droughts would still get worse in a warmer world because the hotter atmosphere holds more water vapor.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of holds

Verb

The fee applies during the first 13 years of the agreement and gradually declines over the remaining initial term.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
Recent findings show that early-career workers – ages 22 to 25 – in occupations most vulnerable to AI automation, such as software development and customer service, have experienced employment declines.

— Maria Black, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of declines

Verb

Wolf succumbs to Shura, a demonic force in the game’s mythology that possesses those who give in to bloodlust.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
The observations show the red supergiant has an atmosphere with a temperature of around 3,680 degrees Fahrenheit (2,030 degrees Celsius), but possesses at least two regions even hotter than this.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026