hold fire
Cease shooting temporarily
Hold fire means to refrain from shooting or, more commonly, to wait before taking action.
The phrase comes from military commands to cease or delay firing weapons.
In everyday use, it asks someone to pause: Hold fire on that email until we hear back from legal.
Hold fire—I think there's been a misunderstanding.
Temporary cessation of activity
- waitDelay until later
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
- postponeDelay to later time
- suspendHalt or hang temporarily
defer · standby · pending · interim · provisional · temporary · moratorium · timeout
Ability to restrain impulses
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
- patienceCalm during delays
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
- composureEmotional self-control
caution · prudence · reserve · moderation · temperance · impulse control · willpower · discretion
pause
Temporary cessation of activity
- waitDelay until later
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
- postponeDelay to later time
suspend · defer · standby · pending · interim · provisional · temporary · moratorium · timeout · breathing room
self-control
Ability to restrain impulses
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
- patienceCalm during delays
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
composure · caution · prudence · reserve · moderation · temperance · impulse control · willpower · discretion · tactfulness
- doing nothingdo nothing, stand still, sit tight, stay put, keep still
- fire idiomsfan the flames, spread like wildfire, go up in flames, go up in smoke, up in smoke
- military commandsattention, halt, fall back, advance, attack
- nautical termsahoy, afloat, aye aye, aye-aye, becalmed
- self-controlself-control, restraint, willpower, composure, moderation
- surrendersurrender, surrenders, surrendering, I surrender, capitulate
hold fireopen fire
Begin discharging weapons
fire · fire at will · shoot · engage · attack
hold firejump the gun
Start before permitted
rush in · go off half-cocked · advance · charge · proceed
hold, fire, holds, holding, held, holder, holders, holdings, fires