defer

¹ American  

[dih-fur] / dɪˈfɜr /

verb (used with object)

deferred, deferring

1. to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time.

   The decision has been deferred by the board until next week.

2. to exempt temporarily from induction into military service.

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verb (used without object)

deferred, deferring

1. to put off action; delay.

defer ² American  

[dih-fur] / dɪˈfɜr /

verb (used without object)

deferred, deferring

1. to yield respectfully in judgment or opinion (usually followed byto ).

   We all defer to him in these matters.

   Synonyms:

   capitulate, acquiesce, submit, accede

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verb (used with object)

deferred, deferring

1. to submit for decision; refer.

   We defer questions of this kind to the president.

defer ¹ British  

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

1. (tr) to delay or cause to be delayed until a future time; postpone

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defer ² British  

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

1. to yield (to) or comply (with) the wishes or judgments of another

   I defer to your superior knowledge

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Synonym Usage

Defer, delay, postpone imply keeping something from occurring until a future time. To defer is to decide to do something later on: to defer making a payment. To delay is sometimes equivalent to defer, but usually it is to act in a dilatory manner and thus lay something aside: to delay one's departure. To postpone a thing is to put it off to (usually) some particular time in the future, with the intention of beginning or resuming it then: to postpone an election. procrastinate.

Other Word Forms

• deferrer
  noun
• deferrable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of defer¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English deferen, differren “to delay”; see defer ² differ

Origin of defer²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English deferren, from Latin dēferre “to carry from or down, report, accuse,” equivalent to dē- “from, away from, out of” + ferre “to carry”; see de-, bear ¹

Explanation

Defer means to put off or delay. You can try to defer the inevitable by pushing “snooze” and falling back asleep, but eventually you're going to have to get up. If you're excellent at pushing things to a later date and a master at procrastination, then you already know how to defer. But defer can also mean to comply with another person’s opinion or wishes. So when your boss finds out you deferred your work to shop online instead, you should probably defer when she asks you to come in and finish everything up over the weekend.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defer deferred deferring

You would happily drive twice the distance, eat three times the terrible food, to have another chance to defer this last time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

The 2026 limit on what you can defer from your paycheck is $24,500, or $32,500 if you’re 50 or older.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

He also urges the justices to defer heavily to military leaders’ judgments about readiness and deployability.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

Handler appeared to defer to the soloists, while the trio looked to encourage her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

In July the agency voted to defer construction of the Mark II indefinitely.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

You have roughly $700,000 — about 46% of your financial assets — in CDs, savings, Series I bonds, cash and your deferred annuity.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

She had already deferred her university offer for a year because of uncertainty surrounding the war, which has persisted despite an April ceasefire that halted its most intense phase.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Sustained prices could improve upstream project economics, encourage higher development spending, while greater cash-flow visibility may prompt operators to resume deferred brownfield and asset-integrity work, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

However, the closure has been deferred until the remaining residents have been relocated and arrangements for independent living have been completed.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

I helped him to a bedroom upstairs; while he took off his coat and vest I told him that all arrangements had been deferred until he came.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

But a spoof is under no obligation to turn that one joke into a full narrative as it does by deferring to a younger cast, and only checking in with the franchise’s original players occasionally.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

Motions to dismiss charges in the case paint some of the officers as rookies deferring to their superiors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026

If both sides decide the costs of the war are becoming unbearable, they could cut an agreement that stops the fighting while deferring decisions on the toughest issues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

From what I understand, a distribution is mandatory; deferring receipt does not exempt one from the requirement.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

“Ah don’t wanna break in ’n’ meddle where Ah ain’ got no bis- ness, suh,” the preacher said in a tone that was militant, but deferring.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• adjourn
• delay
• extend
• hold up
• postpone
• prolong
• set aside
• shelve
• stall
• suspend
• waive