deferred
Americanadjective
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postponed or delayed.
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suspended or withheld for or until a certain time or event.
a deferred payment; deferred taxes.
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classified as temporarily exempt from induction into military service.
adjective
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withheld over a certain period; postponed
a deferred payment
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(of shares) ranking behind other types of shares for dividend
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deferred
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many projects, like the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and African American history museum, began as the deferred dreams of ordinary citizens.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
Akshay Bharath is on the wait list at University of Virginia, his overall top choice, where he applied binding early decision, was deferred and then wait-listed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
Billings, which adjusts revenue to include changes in deferred revenue, jumped 31% from a year ago to $2.09 billion.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
The judge, Lord Harrower, deferred sentence on the youth for the preparation of a report until next month at the High Court in Dundee, and he will be detained in a secure unit until then.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
You dipped into the muddy waters of the Harlem River and shouted °taste and see * that we Black folk be good at fanning hope and stoking the fires of dreams deferred.
From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
