Hold back

Latest answer — July 22, 2026

48 Across

Think about what might slow you down when you're trying to move forward! 🚧

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

WSJ Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, July 22, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Diet target
  2. 5Heating option
  3. 8Like rawhide bones
  4. 14Brand once marketed as “the great national temperance beverage”
  5. 16State of southern Mexico
  6. 17Leap while snowboarding
  7. 18Millionth of a meter
  8. 19“Whine Up” singer DeLuna
  9. 20River past Balmoral Castle
  10. 22“So Big” writer Ferber
  11. 23Help the chef
  12. 25“The Caretaker” playwright
  13. 27“The Hound of the Baskervilles” setting
  14. 28Nicole Kidman’s co-star in 2001’s “Birthday Girl”
  15. 32Lends support
  16. 33Title before Fox or Rabbit
  17. 34Curling need
  18. 35Smelter supply
  19. 36Faith Hill song “Take Me ___ Am”
  20. 37Nondairy milk option
  21. 39Quote the raven?
  22. 40Henhouse sight
  23. 42Stout-bodied fish
  24. 44Sgt.’s superior
  25. 45“You missed your opportunity”
  26. 47Wasatch Range tribe
  27. 48Hold back
  28. 49Harbor, say
  29. 50Choose not to sip
  30. 53“Patience ___ virtue”
  31. 54Cannes companion
  32. 55“Oil my arms, please, oil my elbows” speaker
  33. 57It folds down for a passenger (and an instruction for how to treat several Down answers)
  34. 62Mysterious
  35. 63Simple, as a rocket
  36. 64Creatures
  37. 65Go a round
  38. 66Treat for a chickadee

Down

  1. 1Media monitor, for short
  2. 2Mauna ___
  3. 3Opera division
  4. 4Producers of pastries
  5. 5Acquired
  6. 6Green with Grammys
  7. 7“Sexy” Beatles girl
  8. 8Astronomer’s sighting
  9. 9Yes, in Yokohama
  10. 10Book bit
  11. 11City section
  12. 12Bus. sch. subject
  13. 13Comical Carvey
  14. 15Topper
  15. 21Between stops
  16. 23“The A.B.C. Murders” sleuth
  17. 24Drive in Beverly Hills
  18. 25Numbers on tags
  19. 26Marco Polo’s heading
  20. 27Their name for New Zealand is Aotearoa
  21. 28Common undergrad deg.
  22. 29Pinpoint
  23. 30Peevishly sulking
  24. 31Small amphibians
  25. 36Dispenser of dollars
  26. 38Teddy’s neighbor on Mount Rushmore
  27. 41Summation signs, in math
  28. 43Worked
  29. 44Ark-measuring units
  30. 46Needle sources
  31. 49Band boosters
  32. 50Wild guess
  33. 51Undercover cop’s wear
  34. 52Cuzco people
  35. 54Visa rival, familiarly
  36. 56Crumb bearer
  37. 58Italian count’s start
  38. 59Gold, to chemists
  39. 60“We Bring Good Things to Life” advertiser, once
  40. 61Visitor in a 1982 Spielberg movie

The answer to “Hold back” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is IMPEDE — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on July 22, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 48-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Hold back” answer

IMPEDE (6 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is IMPEDE.

Why the answer is IMPEDE

Think about what might slow you down when you're trying to move forward! 🚧

What does IMPEDE mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of IMPEDE is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(verb)

  • delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder

When else has “Hold back” appeared?

Wall Street Journal reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

July 22, 2026 (most recent) → IMPEDE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Hold back”?

The answer is IMPEDE, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on July 22, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Hold back”?

6 letters: IMPEDE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on July 22, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 48-Across.

Can “Hold back” have a different answer?

Yes — Wall Street Journal sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's WSJ answers?

The full grid for July 22, 2026 is on the WSJ answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

Wall Street Journal Crossword is published by The Wall Street Journal; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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