hang back

hang back (third-person singular simple present hangs back, present participle hanging back, simple past and past participle hung back)

1. (informal) To wait; to falter; to avoid proceeding through reluctance.
   • 2015 May 25, Daniel Taylor, “Norwich reach Premier League after early blitz sees off Middlesbrough”, in The Guardian (London)‎:

     Ayala’s mix-up with Dean Whitehead left Cameron Jerome advancing from the flank, probably expecting at least one opponent would come across to block off the shot. It never happened. The next defender, Ben Gibson, hung back, mistakenly thinking Jerome would look for a team-mate, and the goalkeeper, Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, also seemed to be caught in two minds.

• See Thesaurus:tarry