Offhold

verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To retain. archaic, transitive
  2. 2
    To hold off; prevent; refrain; avoid; shun. intransitive

    "A scleral rim should be maintained in contact lenses to off-hold and balance the corneal portion from the cornea, preventing exertion of any pressure."

Example

More examples

"A scleral rim should be maintained in contact lenses to off-hold and balance the corneal portion from the cornea, preventing exertion of any pressure."

Etymology

From Middle English ofholden, from Old English ofhealdan (“to withhold, retain”), equivalent to off- + hold. Cognate with Dutch afhouden (“to detain, deter”), German abhalten (“to discourage, prevent, deter”).

Related phrases

hold off

More for "offhold"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.