The term 'held back' can be defined in many ways, with the crossword solutions providing a variety of words to describe it. The seven letter solution, 'impeded, ' means to obstruct or hinder progress. The four letter solution, 'kept, ' suggests that something was held back or prevented from happening. The five letter solution, 'atbay, ' implies that something was kept away or prevented from advancing. The six letter solutions, 'CURBED, ' 'pentup, ' and 'STAYED, ' all suggest that something was RESTRAINED or prevented from occurring. The seven letter solution, 'DELAYED, ' implies that something was postponed or put off. The eight letter solution, 'DETAINED, ' suggests that something was held back or kept in custody. The nine letter solutions, 'abstained, ' 'INHIBITED, ' 'keptatbay, ' 'REPRESSED, ' and 'RESTRAINED, ' all indicate that something was prevented from happening or kept under control.