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hold sb/sth back

(STOP DEVELOPMENT) phrasal verb with hold
 
/həʊld/
 
US  /hoʊld/ verb (held, held)

Definition

C2 to stop someone or something developing or doing as well as they should: She felt that having children would hold her back.Delaying and wasting time
(Definition of hold sb/sth back (STOP DEVELOPMENT) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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