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

Also known by its rather unsubtle acronym, CRUSH, this initiative is taking unprecedented steps to withhold and defer funds in response to suspected fraud.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Many towns and cities help older homeowners stay in their homes by permitting them to defer their taxes until they sell their homes or pass away.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

"People don't understand that StubHub's name of their game is to intimidate you, defer you, and deny you," Clements told the BBC, also citing legal dispute notices that were mailed to the company but returned.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

But its end customers treat the purchases as capital assets, meaning they defer the upfront costs and recognize them only gradually as depreciation on their income statements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

“Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never. I think I’ll wait and see if I get into Yale first. If I do and they let me defer a year, she probably won’t be as upset.”

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

He made no comment and the case was deferred until Thursday, when it is expected that Ahmadzai will be formally charged.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

"Net bookings", the company's preferred revenue yardstick which excludes some deferred sales, was down slightly less in April-June, falling nine percent to 256 million euros.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

While traveling in Manila, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he was aware of the news reports, but deferred to the White House to provide more public information.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

In some cases, prosecutors have spared big companies from that risk by putting them on a form of corporate probation known as a deferred prosecution agreement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

But when he later recounted his return to the White House, Jennings voiced no bitterness over the deferred promise of freedom.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

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

Boeing declined to comment on the Safety Matters report, deferring to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 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

“Good morning, Auntie,” she said, deferring to the respectful greeting for an elder.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

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