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 also urges the justices to defer heavily to military leaders’ judgments about readiness and deployability.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

Handler appeared to defer to the soloists, while the trio looked to encourage her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

And though the picture’s length is a challenge, its power rests in the methodical manner by which we come to know its protagonists—a determined band of salt-of-the-earth types unwilling to defer to custom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Lenders may also offer the option to defer repayment until after graduation, but keep in mind that interest still accumulates during that time.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

Though they are far more experienced, army surgeon Dr. Charles Sabin Taft and Dr. Albert King defer to their younger colleague because Dr. Leale was first on the scene.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

And some state prisons have astronomical deferred maintenance bills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Maintenance activity could also pick up as operators gain greater cash-flow visibility to resume deferred work, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

She had already deferred her university offer for a year because of uncertainty surrounding the war, which has persisted despite an April ceasefire that halted its most intense phase.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Singh also noted that Oracle’s growth in deferred revenue, or money the company receives in advance of delivering on services, outpaced growth in reported revenue in the cloud applications segment for two consecutive quarters.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026

The chief ambassador proclaimed loudly that by his wise diplomacy, Prince Fortinbras’s challenge to Denmark had been deferred.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

The Medical Examiner hasn’t yet released a cause or manner of death for Hoyos-Munoz, writing that it was deferring its decision for now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

Yes, some of the gains are due to inflation, but the owner also benefits from deferring the tax until the asset is sold.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

You don’t want to look back later and kick yourself for deferring your taxes but incurring poor returns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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

“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