Walking Away From Fear And Finding Courage

What does “hold someone back” mean?

In this student’s talk on facing fear, the message turns on a phrasal verb: «those make us feel anxious and holding us back from doing great things». To hold someone back is to stop them from moving forward or reaching their potential, whether it’s fear, doubt, or other people doing the holding.

Like many English phrasal verbs, the two words together mean more than their parts: hold (“grip”) plus back (“behind”) gives “restrain, prevent from advancing.” Watch the patterns: “don’t hold back” (“give it everything”), “hold yourself back,” “what’s holding you back?” It’s everyday English for whatever keeps you stuck.