Withhold

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Withhold

1. After a person commits a transgression (see ‘overt’) and then doesn’t confess what they did. The person has done something they shouldn’t have, and now they don’t want anyone to know, so they don’t admit to having done it.

Examples:

Grover’s mom just made a batch of cookies. Grover knows he isn’t supposed to eat the cookies but he grabs a handful and runs off to eat them in secret. When his mom comes back and finds the cookies gone, Grover plays with his train set as though he knows nothing about any cookies. He’s doesn’t want his mom to know he ate those cookies. Eating the cookies and then not telling his mom about it is a withhold.

Kerri and her husband are on a tight budget and they’ve agreed not to buy any clothing for now. Kerri passes a shoe store and falls in love with a pair of clearance heels. She knows she shouldn’t buy them, but she buys them anyway. She decides not to tell her husband and just slips the shoes into her closet hoping he won’t notice. Buying the shoes and then refraining from telling her husband about it is a withhold.

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