Withhold Meaning In Spanish | Right Word In Each Context

It most often becomes retener, ocultar, or negar, based on whether you’re holding back money, information, or permission.

“Withhold” looks simple in English, then Spanish makes you choose. Are you keeping money from a paycheck? Refusing to share details? Saying no to approval? Spanish uses different verbs for each move, and native speakers notice when you grab the wrong one.

This article gives you a clean way to pick the verb fast, then backs it up with examples you can reuse in emails, HR notes, travel situations, and everyday talk.

Why “Withhold” Splits Into Several Spanish Verbs

English packs a few ideas into one word: keep something in your possession, keep it from someone else, or refuse to give it. Spanish asks you to name the action more directly.

Think in three buckets:

• Money or a physical thing is kept back → you’re retaining or holding onto it.
• Information is kept back → you’re hiding it or choosing not to reveal it.
• Approval, consent, or a benefit is kept back → you’re denying it or refusing to grant it.

Once you sort the situation, the right verb shows up quickly. The next sections walk through the most common choices and the sentence patterns that go with them.

Withhold Meaning In Spanish: Pick The Right Verb

If you only learn one trick, learn this: translate the thing being withheld, then match it to the verb that Spanish expects in that setting. A paycheck, a tax, a refund, a document, a detail, a permission slip, a signature—each pulls Spanish toward a different verb.

Use “Retener” For Money, Pay, Or Something Kept Back

Retener is the workhorse for holding something back, keeping it, or stopping it from going out. The RAE dictionary frames retener as preventing something from leaving or moving on, which fits many real uses.

Common patterns:

• retener + noun: retener el pago, retener el envío
• retener + a + person: retener a un pasajero (detain/hold)
• retener + porcentaje: retener un 15 % del salario

Natural examples:

• La empresa retuvo parte del salario por un error de nómina.
• El banco retiene el depósito hasta que firmes el contrato.
• Si falta un documento, la aduana puede retener el paquete.

Note the tone: retener sounds administrative and neutral. It works well in work messages and formal notices.

Use “Ocultar” Or “No Revelar” For Holding Back Information

When the withheld item is a fact, a detail, or a piece of news, Spanish leans toward verbs that signal concealment or deliberate silence. The RAE dictionary includes “callar voluntariamente” as a core sense for ocultar, which matches “withhold information” closely.

Two clean options:

• ocultar = to hide, to keep secret
• no revelar / no divulgar = to not disclose

Natural examples:

• No voy a revelar los detalles hasta que se cierre el trato.
• El informe oculta datos que cambian el contexto.
• El médico no puede divulgar esa información sin permiso.

Ocultar can sound accusatory if you use it about people, since it implies concealment. When you want a neutral tone, “no revelar” often lands better.

Use “Negar” Or “Denegar” For Withholding Approval Or Permission

If you’re not giving a benefit, access, or consent, Spanish often uses negar or the more formal denegar. These verbs match the idea of refusal rather than physical retention.

Useful patterns:

• negar + algo + a + alguien: negar el acceso a un visitante
• denegar + solicitud: denegar una petición
• negarse a + infinitive: negarse a firmar

Natural examples:

• Le negaron la entrada por no llevar identificación.
• La aerolínea puede denegar el embarque si el nombre no coincide.
• Me negué a dar mi número por teléfono.

Quick nuance: negar works in everyday speech. Denegar is common in official letters, forms, and policy language.

Use “Suspender” Or “Retirar” When Something Is Intentionally Not Provided

Sometimes “withhold” means stopping something that was being given: a service, a medication, a shipment, a privilege. Spanish often phrases that as “to suspend” or “to withdraw.”

• El proveedor suspendió el servicio por falta de pago.
• El equipo médico retiró el tratamiento hasta tener resultados.

This choice keeps your Spanish clear: you’re not holding a thing back; you’re stopping delivery.

Fast Decision Steps Before You Translate

When you’re writing quickly, run this short checklist. It prevents the classic errors that make Spanish feel translated.

1. Name the withheld item: dinero, datos, permiso, acceso, pago, consentimiento.
2. Ask what action is happening: retaining, hiding, refusing, stopping delivery.
3. Pick the verb family: retener / ocultar-no revelar / negar-denegar / suspender-retirar.
4. Build the sentence with the usual frame: “retener + cantidad”, “negar + algo + a + alguien”, “no revelar + detalles”.

That’s it. Short. Reliable. Easy to reuse.

Common Translations By Situation

Use the table below as a quick selector when you’re stuck. It covers the meanings you’ll see in HR, travel, customer service, and finance.

English Use	Natural Spanish Choice	Typical Phrase
Withhold pay	retener	retener el salario / el pago
Withhold taxes	retener / practicar una retención	retención en nómina
Withhold a refund	retener	retener el reembolso
Withhold information	ocultar / no revelar / no divulgar	ocultar datos / no revelar detalles
Withhold consent	negar / no dar	negar el consentimiento
Withhold access	negar / denegar	denegar el acceso
Withhold a service	suspender / retirar	suspender el servicio
Withhold a document	retener	retener el documento

Money Uses: Paychecks, Tax Withholding, And Admin Language

Money is where English “withhold” shows up most, and Spanish has set phrases that sound natural in payroll and tax talk.

Payroll and invoices. If a company keeps part of a payment, retener reads clean. The definition on RAE’s “retener” entry matches this payroll use.

You’ll see it with “parte de”, “un porcentaje”, and a reason clause.

• Vamos a retener un 10 % hasta que se entregue el trabajo final.
• Retuvimos el pago porque faltaba la factura corregida.

Taxes. In Spanish tax language, “withholding” often maps to retenciones. Spain’s tax agency explains retentions as amounts deducted by the payer and paid to the Treasury in advance of the recipient’s final tax bill. The wording on “Qué son las retenciones y los ingresos a cuenta” matches how you’ll see the term used in forms and payroll notes.

If you write in a cross-border setting, US HR teams often say “tax withholding” when talking about Form W-4 settings. The IRS explains how withholding is taken from paychecks and adjusted through employer forms on its Tax withholding page.

Spanish sentences that fit that register:

• En la nómina se aplica una retención según tu situación.
• El pagador retiene el impuesto y lo ingresa a la administración.

Avoid a common trap: translating “withholding tax” as “impuesto de ocultación” or anything tied to secrecy. In tax contexts, it’s a routine deduction, not a hidden act.

Information Uses: When “Withhold” Means Silence

In meetings, emails, and personal talk, “withhold” often means holding back details. Spanish can express that with ocultar, yet the tone matters. The sense listed in RAE’s “ocultar” entry lines up with this use.

When you suspect wrongdoing. “Ocultar información” sounds like concealment. It fits when you’re pointing out that details were kept secret.

• El proveedor ocultó fallos que afectaban al contrato.

When you’re staying discreet. If you’re not sharing yet because it’s confidential, “no revelar” or “no divulgar” keeps the tone calm.

• Por confidencialidad, no voy a divulgar el nombre del cliente.
• Podemos reservarnos algunos datos hasta tener el visto bueno.

One more nuance: Spanish often drops the dramatic “withhold” feeling and just states the rule.

• La empresa no comparte datos personales sin autorización.

That line can sound more natural than forcing a direct equivalent, especially in policy text.

Permission And Benefits: Saying No Without Sounding Harsh

When the withheld item is approval, access, or a benefit, Spanish prefers refusal verbs. You can choose the level of formality.

“Negar” For Daily Speech

Negar works for everyday refusal and many official situations.

• Le negaron el reembolso por falta de recibo.
• No te pueden negar el acceso si cumples los requisitos.

“Denegar” For Notices And Legal Wording

Denegar is common in letters, rulings, and corporate policy.

• Se deniega la solicitud por documentación incompleta.

“No Conceder” For A Softer Register

Sometimes “no conceder” feels less blunt than “negar,” especially in customer-facing messages.

• No podemos conceder la excepción sin aprobación del área responsable.

Pick one style, then keep it consistent across the page or email thread.

Common Mistakes That Give Away A Direct Translation

A few errors show up again and again. Fixing them makes your Spanish sound like it was written in Spanish.

• Using “ocultar” for taxes. Taxes are “retenciones,” not secrecy.
• Using “retener” for secrets in a friendly email. It can sound cold. “No revelar” often fits better.
• Forgetting “a” with people. “negar algo a alguien” needs that preposition.
• Overusing one verb. Spanish likes specificity; swap verbs based on what’s being held back.

Phrase Bank You Can Copy Into Real Messages

These lines are built to drop into common situations: payroll notes, customer replies, travel issues, and internal emails. Swap the nouns as needed.

Situation	Spanish Line	Tone
Payroll adjustment	Vamos a retener una parte del pago hasta que se corrija la nómina.	Formal
Refund review	Hemos retenido el reembolso mientras revisamos la documentación.	Neutral
Confidential detail	No podemos revelar los detalles hasta que se firme el acuerdo.	Calm
Data privacy	No divulgamos datos personales sin autorización expresa.	Policy
Access control	Se deniega el acceso si la identificación no coincide.	Official
Consent refused	El titular negó el consentimiento para compartir esa información.	Neutral
Service stop	El servicio queda suspendido hasta que se regularice el pago.	Formal

Mini Practice: Turn English Into Spanish Without Guessing

Try these transformations. Each one starts by naming what’s being held back.

“They withheld my paycheck.”

Item: salario. Action: retained money. Result:

• Me retuvieron el salario.

“She withheld the details until the contract was signed.”

Item: detalles. Action: not disclosed. Result:

• No reveló los detalles hasta que se firmó el contrato.

“The agency withheld approval.”

Item: aprobación. Action: denied. Result:

• El organismo denegó la aprobación.

Notice what changes: the verb shifts, but your thinking stays the same.

When A Direct Translation Is Not The Best Spanish

English uses “withhold” in ways Spanish often rewrites. If your goal is natural Spanish, you can switch to a plain rule statement.

• English: “We withhold personal data.”
• Spanish: No compartimos datos personales sin autorización.

This is common in privacy, HR, and customer service writing. It reads clean and avoids sounding like a legal calque.

Quick Recap You Can Save

• Money or a thing kept back: retener.
• Details kept back: ocultar, no revelar, no divulgar.
• Approval kept back: negar, denegar, no conceder.
• Something stopped: suspender, retirar.

If you stick to those four lanes, your Spanish will sound natural, and your meaning stays sharp.