WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

hold off
    v 1: resist and fight to a standoff; "Dallas had enough of a
         lead to hold the Broncos off"
    2: wait before acting; "the scientists held off announcing their
       results until they repeated the experiment" [syn: wait,
       hold off, hold back]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

129 Moby Thesaurus words for "hold off":
   abstain, adjourn, be dilatory, beat back, beat off, blench, block,
   boggle, brush off, chase, chase away, chase off, check, continue,
   counter, cut, defer, delay, demur, dismiss, dispense with,
   do without, drag out, drive away, drive back, extend, falter, fend,
   fend off, fight shy of, filibuster, flinch, forbear, forgo,
   gain time, hang, hang back, hang fire, hang off, hang up,
   have qualms, hesitate, hinder, hold at bay, hold back, hold over,
   hold up, keep at bay, keep back, keep in hand, keep off, lay aside,
   lay by, lay over, let alone, make bones about, make time,
   not touch, not use, obstruct, pack off, parry, pause, pigeonhole,
   play for time, postpone, procrastinate, prolong, prorogate,
   prorogue, protract, pull back, push aside, push back, put,
   put aside, put back, put off, put on ice, quail, rebuff, rebut,
   recess, recoil, refrain, refuse, repel, repulse, reserve, save,
   scruple, send away, send off, send packing, set aside, set by,
   shelve, shift off, shrink, shy, shy at, sleep on, snub, spare,
   spurn, stall, stall for time, stall off, stand over, stave off,
   stay, stick at, stickle, stooge around, stop, strain, stretch out,
   suspend, table, take a recess, talk against time, temporize,
   thrust back, turn aside, turn back, waive, ward off, waver,
   wince