Irregular verbs Regular verbs
withhold, withholds, withholding, withheld
Synonyms: retain, keep back, reserve, conceal, hold back
Antonyms: provide, grant, release, give, disclose
The Verb Withhold – Definition, Usage, and Clarification The verb withhold is a formal irregular verb meaning to deliberately refuse to give something or to hold something back. VERB FORMS ■ Base Form: withhold ■ Past Simple: withheld ■ Past Participle: withheld ■ Present Participle/Gerund: withholding USAGE AND CONTEXT 'Withhold' is often used in formal, legal, or financial contexts and implies a deliberate refusal. 1. Refusing to Give Information or Things This is its primary meaning. ■ Legal: 'The witness was accused of withholding crucial evidence.' ■ General: 'She withheld payment until the work was completed to her satisfaction.' 2. Holding Back Emotions This refers to suppressing a feeling. ■ Emotion: 'He struggled to withhold his anger and remain calm.' 3. Taxes This refers to the practice of an employer deducting money for taxes from an employee's salary. ■ Finance: 'My employer will withhold taxes from my monthly paycheck.' ℹ IMPORTANT: FORMAL TONE ■ Formal vs. Informal: 'Withhold' is a more formal word than 'keep back' or 'not give.' It is the standard term in legal and official documents but less common in casual conversation.
| WITHHOLD - PRESENT SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ I | withhold |
| ★ you | withhold |
| ★ he/she/it | withholds |
| ★ we | withhold |
| ★ you (plural) | withhold |
| ★ they | withhold |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Present Simple |
|---|
| - I withhold my judgment until I have all the facts. |
| - You withhold your emotions and never show how you feel. |
| - He withholds payment if the work is not satisfactory. | The government withholds taxes from my salary. |
| - We withhold our applause until the end of the performance. |
| - You (plural) withhold your consent for the proposal. |
| - They withhold crucial information from the investigation. |
| WITHHOLD - PRESENT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I am | withholding |
| ★ you are | withholding |
| ★ he/she/it is | withholding |
| ★ we are | withholding |
| ★ you are | withholding |
| ★ they are | withholding |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Present Continuous |
|---|
| - I am withholding my opinion for now. |
| - You are withholding evidence, which is a serious crime. |
| - He is withholding his forgiveness. | The company is withholding the employees' bonuses. |
| - We are withholding our final decision until we have more data. |
| - You (plural) are withholding your support for the new policy. |
| - They are withholding the names of the witnesses. |
| WITHHOLD - PRESENT PERFECT | |
|---|---|
| ★ I have | withheld |
| ★ you have | withheld |
| ★ he/she/it has | withheld |
| ★ we have | withheld |
| ★ you have | withheld |
| ★ they have | withheld |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Present Perfect |
|---|
| - I have withheld my comments until the appropriate time. |
| - You have withheld the truth from me. |
| - He has withheld his approval for the project. | She has withheld her feelings for too long. |
| - We have withheld payment due to a contract dispute. |
| - You (plural) have withheld your cooperation. |
| - They have withheld the documents from the court. |
| WITHHOLD - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I have been | withholding |
| ★ you have been | withholding |
| ★ he/she/it has been | withholding |
| ★ we have been | withholding |
| ★ you have been | withholding |
| ★ they have been | withholding |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| - I have been withholding my true feelings about the situation. |
| - You have been withholding information that could help us. |
| - He has been withholding his consent for weeks. | The employer has been withholding wages. |
| - We have been withholding our judgment. |
| - You (plural) have been withholding your support. |
| - They have been withholding the results of the study. |
| WITHHOLD - PAST SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ I | withheld |
| ★ you | withheld |
| ★ he/she/it | withheld |
| ★ we | withheld |
| ★ you (plural) | withheld |
| ★ they | withheld |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Past Simple |
|---|
| - I withheld my name for privacy reasons. |
| - You withheld important details from your report. |
| - He withheld his laughter with great difficulty. | She withheld her tears until she was alone. |
| - We withheld our decision until the next meeting. |
| - You (plural) withheld your votes in protest. |
| - They withheld the information from the public. |
| WITHHOLD - PAST CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I was | withholding |
| ★ you were | withholding |
| ★ he/she/it was | withholding |
| ★ we were | withholding |
| ★ you were | withholding |
| ★ they were | withholding |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Past Continuous |
|---|
| - I was withholding my final verdict. |
| - You were withholding the truth from the committee. |
| - He was withholding his praise, waiting for the final result. | The company was withholding payments to its suppliers. |
| - We were withholding our excitement to avoid disappointment. |
| - You (plural) were withholding vital information. |
| - They were withholding their support. |
| WITHHOLD - PAST PERFECT | |
|---|---|
| ★ I had | withheld |
| ★ you had | withheld |
| ★ he/she/it had | withheld |
| ★ we had | withheld |
| ★ you had | withheld |
| ★ they had | withheld |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Past Perfect |
|---|
| - I had withheld my judgment until I heard both sides of the story. |
| - You had withheld the information, which made the situation worse. |
| - He had withheld his emotions for so long that he finally broke down. | She had withheld her signature from the document. |
| - We had withheld the news from the family. |
| - You (plural) had withheld your consent. |
| - They had withheld the evidence from the police. |
| WITHHOLD - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I had been | withholding |
| ★ you had been | withholding |
| ★ he/she/it had been | withholding |
| ★ we had been | withholding |
| ★ you had been | withholding |
| ★ they had been | withholding |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| - I had been withholding my true opinion for the entire meeting. |
| - You had been withholding the secret for years. |
| - He had been withholding his feelings for a long time. | The company had been withholding the funds. |
| - We had been withholding the information. |
| - You (plural) had been withholding your cooperation. |
| - They had been withholding the truth. |
| WITHHOLD - FUTURE SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will | withhold |
| ★ you will | withhold |
| ★ he/she/it will | withhold |
| ★ we will | withhold |
| ★ you will | withhold |
| ★ they will | withhold |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Future Simple |
|---|
| - I will withhold my comments until the end. |
| - You will withhold your decision until Monday. |
| - He will withhold his support if his conditions are not met. | The school will withhold the student's diploma. |
| - We will withhold payment if the job is not completed. |
| - You (plural) will withhold your votes. |
| - They will withhold the names of the winners until the ceremony. |
| WITHHOLD - FUTURE CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will be | withholding |
| ★ you will be | withholding |
| ★ he/she/it will be | withholding |
| ★ we will be | withholding |
| ★ you will be | withholding |
| ★ they will be | withholding |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Future Continuous |
|---|
| - I will be withholding my judgment during the trial. |
| - You will be withholding your true intentions. |
| - He will be withholding the information. | The company will be withholding the data from the public. |
| - We will be withholding our final approval. |
| - You (plural) will be withholding your support. |
| - They will be withholding the details. |
| WITHHOLD - FUTURE PERFECT | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will have | withheld |
| ★ you will have | withheld |
| ★ he/she/it will have | withheld |
| ★ we will have | withheld |
| ★ you will have | withheld |
| ★ they will have | withheld |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Future Perfect |
|---|
| - I will have withheld my opinion until it was too late. |
| - You will have withheld the information. |
| - He will have withheld his consent. | The organization will have withheld the prize. |
| - We will have withheld payment. |
| - You (plural) will have withheld your cooperation. |
| - They will have withheld the secret. |
| WITHHOLD - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will have been | withholding |
| ★ you will have been | withholding |
| ★ he/she/it will have been | withholding |
| ★ we will have been | withholding |
| ★ you will have been | withholding |
| ★ they will have been | withholding |
| Examples of the verb 'withhold' in the Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| - By the end of the negotiation, we will have been withholding our final offer for weeks. |
| - You will have been withholding the truth. |
| - He will have been withholding his feelings. | The company will have been withholding the information. |
| - We will have been withholding our support. |
| - You (plural) will have been withholding your consent. |
| - They will have been withholding the documents. |