defer

¹

[dih-fur]

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

[dih-fur]

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

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

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

defer

²

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

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

   I defer to your superior knowledge

Other Word Forms

• deferrer noun
• deferrable adjective

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of defer¹

C14: from Old French differer to be different, postpone; see _differ

Origin of defer²

C15: from Latin dēferre, literally: to bear down, from _de- + ferre to bear

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

When money was tight, he was advised to pause or defer those payments.

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He pledged to make back payments once his checks resumed, which he said the company agreed to, and allowed him to defer payments.

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The IRS could defer to those laws and agencies in determining what counts as political campaign intervention by nonprofits.

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And some savings will show up later as federal workers who accepted deferred resignation drop off government payrolls in fiscal 2026.

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Any new layoffs tied to the shutdown combined with the workers who took the deferred resignation program could mean “a hideous employment report could be coming,” he said.

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Related Words

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