defer

[ dih-fur ]

See synonyms for defer on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time: The decision has been deferred by the board until next week.
to exempt temporarily from induction into military service.

verb (used without object),de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

to put off action; delay.

Origin of defer

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English deferen, differren “to delay”; see defer² differ

synonym study For defer

1. 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. 3. procrastinate.

word story For defer

Defer “to put off, delay” comes from Middle English deferen, differren “to put off, delay, be different, differentiate, refer a matter for decision; defer to, show respect or deference to,” from Old French def(f)erer, dif(f)erer “to have different qualities, be different, be dissimilar,” from Latin differre “to carry away, carry in different directions, differ, postpone, adjourn.” Differre is composed of the prefix dif- (a variant of dis- used before f ) “apart, asunder” and the simple verb ferre “to carry, bear.”
Defer and differ were originally the same word, but spellings with def- for etymologically correct dif-, which first appeared in the 15th century, have become standard in part because of the sense “to put off, delay” (absent in differ ), in part because of the accent being on the root (second) syllable, and in part through association with delay .
The meaning “to exempt temporarily from military service” first appeared in 1941.

Other words from defer

de·fer·rer, noun

Other definitions for defer (2 of 2)

defer²

[ dih-fur ]

verb (used without object),de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

to yield respectfully in judgment or opinion (usually followed by to): We all defer to him in these matters.

verb (used with object),de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

to submit for decision; refer: We defer questions of this kind to the president.

Origin of defer

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-, bear¹

word story For defer

Defer comes from Old French def(f)erer “to yield to, comply with,” from Latin dēferre “to carry, carry down, convey, report, inform, inform against, denounce.” Dēferre is a compound of the prefix and preposition dē-, dē, indicating privation, removal, and separation, and the simple verb ferre “to carry, bear” ( dēferre has no sense “to yield respectfully”). The sense “to yield respectfully, pay deference to,” which developed from the earlier sense “to submit for decision,” dates from the second half of the 17th century.

Other words for defer

1	accede, submit, acquiesce, capitulate

See synonyms for defer on Thesaurus.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use defer in a sentence

Nixon gripes about how Kissinger defers to him in public, but in private conversations, “where it counts,” builds himself up.
The Nixon Home Movies: Glimpses of Tragedy in ‘Our Nixon’ | Eleanor Clift | August 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
What do you think of a federal hands-off policy that defers to the states?
'Let's Talk About Guns' Live Chat Transcript | David Frum | January 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He defers to the law at all junctures, just as Emmett King used to when he read to his family from the Iowa code books.
The New King of Congress | Bryan Curtis | November 28, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Regarding the kiss, Morton defers to the tabloids and, of course, the shrinks.
12 Juicy Jolie Revelations | The Daily Beast | August 2, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Abraham, bearing the whole Aaronic hierarchy potentially within him, defers to Melchizedek as to his greater.
Messages from the Epistle to the Hebrews | Handley C.G. Moule

In view of which agreement, he adds that he defers sending the ladies to the English camp.
A Half Century of Conflict - Volume I | Francis Parkman
He defers in his letters to his brothers superior business sagacity—that is all.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III (of 3) | Alexander Wheelock Thayer
The ground on which he defers the execution of Montigny and De Cayeux beyond the date of their trials seems insufficient.
Familiar Studies of Men and Books | Robert Louis Stevenson
Her mother is a person of very strong character; her husband is absorbed in business, and defers to her in everything.
Indian Summer | William D. Howells

British Dictionary definitions for defer (1 of 2)

defer¹

/ (dɪˈfɜː) /

verb-fers, -ferring or -ferred

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

Origin of defer

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

Derived forms of defer

deferrable or deferable, adjective
deferrer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for defer (2 of 2)

defer²

/ (dɪˈfɜː) /

verb-fers, -ferring or -ferred

(intr foll by to) to yield (to) or comply (with) the wishes or judgments of another: I defer to your superior knowledge

Origin of defer

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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