Hold back
Hold back verb - To create difficulty for the work or activity of.
Support
Support verb - To provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end.
Usage example: sent reinforcements to support the troops deployed overseas
Both terms in one sentence
- Usually one of them would be directly involved militarily in addition to propping up its chosen side, while the other would mostly hold back its troops and provide technical support.
Source: Proxy War
Cite this Source
Support and Hold back. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 07, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/hold_back/support
Hold back & Support. N.p., 2016. Web. 07 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/hold_back/support>.
Support or Hold back. 2016. Accessed August 07, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/hold_back/support.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "hold back" and "support" have occurred on timeline