postpone

American  

[pohst-pohn, pohs-] / poʊstˈpoʊn, poʊs- /

verb (used with object)

• postpones,
  present (3rd person singular)
• postponed,
  past participle,  past
• postponing
  present participle

1. 

   to put off to a later time; defer.

   He has postponed his departure until tomorrow.

2. to place after in order of importance or estimation; subordinate.

   to postpone private ambitions to the public welfare.

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postpone British  

/ pəʊstˈpəʊn, pəˈspəʊn /

verb

1. to put off or delay until a future time

2. to put behind in order of importance; defer

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Synonym Usage

See defer ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• postponement
  noun
• postponer
  noun
• repostpone
  verb (used with object)
• nonpostponable
  adjective
• postponable
  adjective
• unpostponable
  adjective
• unpostponed
  adjective
• well-postponed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• postponing
  present
• postponed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• postpone
  simple
• postpones
  simple
• have postponed
  perfect
• has postponed
  perfect
• am postponing
  progressive
• are postponing
  progressive
• is postponing
  progressive
• have been postponing
  perfect progressive
• has been postponing
  perfect progressive

Past

• postponed
  simple
• had postponed
  perfect
• was postponing
  progressive
• were postponing
  progressive
• had been postponing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will postpone
  simple
• will have postponed
  perfect
• will be postponing
  progressive
• will have been postponing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of postpone

First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin postpōnere “to put after, lay aside,” equivalent to post- post- + pōnere “to put”

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Explanation

To postpone something is to put it off until later. You can postpone an appointment today and reschedule it for tomorrow. Anything you're putting for is being postponed: people postpone things they don't have time to do or just don't want to do. Since doctor and dental appointments are no fun, people postpone them a lot. You can postpone small things, like going to the store or watching a video. The government can postpone big things, like the passing of bills or the invasion of another country. People who procrastinate are constantly postponing. When you see the word postpone, think "Later!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

postpone postpones postponed postponing

The supervisor of New York City’s pension funds, one of the largest in the United States, asked Anthropic to postpone its stock market debut until risks posed by its artificial intelligence technology are better controlled.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Last year, Manilow revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and that surgery would require him to postpone several performances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Littleton Auctions in Worcestershire, which handled the auction, said it had agreed to postpone the sale until the legal dispute had been resolved.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Oura became the latest company to postpone its initial public offering on Tuesday, citing “uncertainty in the IPO market.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Years later I silently thanked him for forcing me to postpone such decisions until I was old enough to think for myself.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

The plan also postpones more complex negotiations over its nuclear programme, a major sticking point for Trump.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

For the insurer, that only postpones the pain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Gen. Ambrose Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac, “but if the couchant lion postpones his spring too long, people will begin wondering whether he is not a stuffed specimen after all.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

The young adult rom-com follows Avery Blackwell, a rising college freshman who postpones her plans to attend Columbia after a note from her late mother sends her on a scavenger hunt in England.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025

Omitting verse 14, the Greek inserts between 13 and 15 the Oracles on Foreign Nations, which the Hebrew postpones to Chs.

From Jeremiah : Being The Baird Lecture for 1922 by Sir George Adam Smith

The unveiling of the Roadster was postponed many times and had been expected for at least nine years.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Its launch, initially slated for 2014, had been indefinitely postponed after North Korea halted construction of its roads and customs facilities, as relations with Beijing turned frosty.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

It is different outside biotech, where companies including health-tech concern Oura have postponed IPOs because they couldn’t command the terms they were seeking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The tax-exempt status also isn’t clear-cut because the payment is only postponed and each state has its own rules for fuel taxes.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Mr. Keufer says future meetings of the order have been postponed until further notice.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

“It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Judge Dabney Friedrich cited "newly discovered evidence" and "evidence located in other countries" as the reason for postponing the trial.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Czech Railways have told passengers they should consider postponing their trips if they do not have to travel.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Some demographers see these women as simply postponing pregnancy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

"Maybe," she said, holding up the envelope again, "they're postponing school? Maybe the first day isn't going to be next Tuesday? Ya think?"

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

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Related Words

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• defer
• delay
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