holdback

holdback [hohld-bak] ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. the iron or strap on the shaft of a horse-drawn vehicle to which the breeching of the harness is attached, enabling the horse to hold back or to back the vehicle.
2. a device for restraining or checking, as a doorstop or tieback.
3. a stop or delay: a holdback in negotiations.
4. a withholding: the holdback of a day’s pay.
5. something, as a planned expenditure or allotment, that is withheld or deferred.

Origin of holdback First recorded in 1575–85; noun use of verb phrase hold back Examples from the Web for holdback Historical Examples of holdback

In the clouds we were passing over Clingman, Gibbs, and Holdback.

On Horseback

Charles Dudley Warner

When the nerve is unduly irritated the holdback, or inhibitory force, is increased, and the heart slows up in the same measure.

Special Report on Diseases of the Horse

United States Department of Agriculture

For this end, during eleven years, all had given their share without stint or holdback.

Christine

Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr