Hold back
Hold back verb - To create difficulty for the work or activity of.
To fight
Both terms in one sentence
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And in the rare case where he does have to fight a female combatant, such as Kurumi, he tries to hold back as much as possible.
- Kingpin is often able to fight Spider-Man man to man, but the reason for this is that Spidey has to hold back his full strength when fighting human enemies to avoid killing them.
Source: Badass Normal / Comic Books -
He doesn't know how to fight - or how to hold back.
Cite this Source
To fight and Hold back. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 10, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/hold_back/to_fight
Hold back & To fight. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/hold_back/to_fight>.
To fight or Hold back. 2016. Accessed August 10, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/hold_back/to_fight.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "hold back" and "to fight" have occurred on timeline