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

Utilities can, and should, plan for these resources as integrated community power networks that improve reliability while helping avoid or defer costly infrastructure investments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 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

“I submit to you that doesn’t defer bad conduct, it just allows you to continue to do it,” said Michelle Meyers, an attorney for Every Fire Survivor’s Network, at the news conference.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 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

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

There is genuine interest in revisiting issues like the balance sheet and communications that the Fed has deferred.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The decision was deferred for six months and he was placed under the supervision of a parole officer.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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

I helped him to a bedroom upstairs; while he took off his coat and vest I told him that all arrangements had been deferred until he came.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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

Motions to dismiss charges in the case paint some of the officers as rookies deferring to their superiors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026

From what I understand, a distribution is mandatory; deferring receipt does not exempt one from the requirement.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

If it distributes the asset, beneficiaries can wait to sell it, deferring any tax bills.

From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026

“Ah don’t wanna break in ’n’ meddle where Ah ain’ got no bis- ness, suh,” the preacher said in a tone that was militant, but deferring.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Related Words

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