hold back in WordNet English dictionary

1. hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
   "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth of communism in South East Asia"; "Contain the rebel movement"; "Turn back the tide of communism"
   check  turn back  arrest  stop  contain  hold back 
   
2. hold back; keep from being perceived by others
   "She conceals her anger well"
   conceal  hold back  hold in 
   
3. refrain from doing
   "she forbore a snicker"
   forbear  hold back 
   
4. secure and keep for possible future use or application
   "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree"
   retain  hold  keep back  hold back 
   
5. keep under control; keep in check
   "suppress a smile"; "Keep your temper"; "keep your cool"
   restrain  keep  keep back  hold back 
   
6. wait before acting
   "the scientists held off announcing their results until they repeated the experiment"
   wait  hold off  hold back 
   

hold back in English Wiktionary