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

He began with moves meant to make military service more attractive: fixed-term contracts for new recruits, with the option to defer further service, and better salaries, especially for the riskiest roles.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

His friends and former clerks describe him as a quiet workaholic who tends to defer to other people in one-on-one conversations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Bonilla’s agent, Dennis Gilbert, leveraged the Mets’ eagerness to cut ties with his client, getting them to agree to defer payments for 10 years at 8% interest, then spread them over 25 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Another option is to defer gains with exchange funds, private investment partnerships that allow investors to diversify concentrated stock positions without triggering immediate capital-gains taxes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026

They try to make this monthly visit informal—everyone wearing civilian clothes, though they all defer to the Gestapo captain as if he were the King of England.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Lord Scott continued his remand in custody as sentencing was deferred for reports.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Employees who were given shares over the years in lieu of cash compensation, for example, have one way to lock in the cash value of their deferred compensation: by selling.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

It is about appetite deferred, pleasure protected, a small kindness sent ahead to a future version of yourself.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

An LA28 spokesperson deferred to the IOC on questions about the Russian return.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

After graduation, John enrolled in college, which deferred his military service.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

The payments are the result of the Mets in 2000 deferring the last $5.9 million of his four-year contract after releasing him on the heels of a .160 batting average.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

She argues that too often we use expert prediction as an excuse not to think for ourselves, deferring to impressive-looking charts and graphs as a form of anxiety relief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 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