hold back

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

ˌhold ˈback (from doing sth) | ˌhold sb ˈback (from doing sth) derived
to hesitate or to make sb hesitate to act or speak
•She held back, not knowing how to break the terrible news.
•I wanted to tell him the truth, but something held me back.
Main entry: ↑hold_derived