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put on hold

[pʊt ɒn hoʊld]
verb phrase
colocar em espera
1. To temporarily pause or suspend an activity, decision, or process
We decided to put the project on hold until next quarter.
Decidimos colocar o projeto em espera até o próximo trimestre.
2. To keep a telephone caller waiting while connected to a line
The receptionist put me on hold for five minutes.
A recepcionista me colocou em espera por cinco minutos.
3. To delay or postpone something indefinitely
They put their wedding plans on hold due to financial constraints.
Eles adiaram seus planos de casamento indefinidamente devido a restrições financeiras.
Synonyms
postponesuspenddeferdelayshelvetable
Antonyms
proceedcontinueresumeadvanceaccelerate

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
colocar em espera
Most common usage in Brazilian Portuguese
General Brazilian
adiar
Also used for postponing decisions or projects
Portugal
deixar em suspenso
More formal alternative in European Portuguese
Portugal
colocar em espera
Also used in Portugal, especially for telephone contexts

Related Idioms & Phrases

put something on the back burner
take a rain check
put something in abeyance
shelve a plan
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