Past Tense of Withhold
“Withhold” is irregular: withhold → withheld → withheld. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; grammar and surrounding auxiliaries identify the role. The same conjugation applies when the object is information, permission, payment, judgment, or something else being held back.
The simple past and past participle of “withhold” are both “withheld.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed action in simple past | withheld | Use “withheld.” |
| past participle after have/has/had | withheld | Use “withheld.” |
| present/base-form context | withhold | Use “withhold” when a past form is not required. |
Quick tests
Verb-form test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “withhold”?
If yes: Use “withheld.”
If no: Use “withhold” or the appropriate present form when the sentence is not past.
Caveat: Both simple past and past participle are “withheld.” The same conjugation applies when the object is information, permission, payment, judgment, or something else being held back.
Examples
The agency withheld the report until Friday.
“Withheld” is the simple past.
The bank has withheld the payment pending review.
“Withheld” is the past participle after “has.”
They withhold identifying details until families are notified.
The present-tense verb is “withhold.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “withheld” for both the simple past and the past participle.
Fast Test
If the sentence is past or requires a participle, choose “withheld”; use “withhold” or its present-tense form when the clause is present.
Usage Boundary
Both simple past and past participle are “withheld.” The same conjugation applies when the object is information, permission, payment, judgment, or something else being held back.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- WITHHOLD Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)Merriam-Webster · Merriam-Webster records withheld as the inflected past form of withhold.
- WITHHOLD | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge records withheld as both the past tense and past participle of withhold.