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.

---

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

---

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

---

defer ² British  

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

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

   I defer to your superior knowledge

---

Related Words

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

• deferrable adjective
• deferrer noun

Etymology

Origin of defer¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English deferen, differren “to delay”; 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”; de-, bear ¹

Example Sentences

SpaceX had sought approval to launch up to 30,000 units, but the FCC said it would defer authorizing additional launches.

From MarketWatch

Never mind that the New York City Housing Authority says it requires “$78 billion in capital investment due to decades of insufficient funding and deferred maintenance.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Even then, courts typically defer to the council on foreign policy.

From The Wall Street Journal

In practice, utilization has been far lower due to years of deferred maintenance, corrosion, power outages, and equipment failures that have left units cycling on and off.

From Barron's

In practice, utilization has been far lower due to years of deferred maintenance, corrosion, power outages, and equipment failures that have left units cycling on and off.

From Barron's

Related Words

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