hold off vs delay

hold off is not a noun while delay is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hold off	No	No	Yes	No
delay	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, delay is a hyponym of hold off; that is, delay is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than hold off:

Other hyponyms of hold off include hold out.

hold off (noun)	delay (noun)
	the act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time
	time during which some action is awaited

hold off (verb)	delay (verb)
resist and fight to a standoff	cause to be slowed down or delayed
wait before acting	stop or halt
	slow the growth or development of
	act later than planned, scheduled, or required