postpone
verb (used with object)
to put off to a later time; defer.
had been postponing
-
past perfect progressiveof postpone.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
That “you only live once” mentality prompted some people to limit spending in order to pursue lifelong goals they had been postponing.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
She had weeks to go until early retirement, and she had been postponing surgery to replace a hip injured in an icy fall.
From New York Times ● Sep. 25, 2014
Piano dealers report that several customers who had been postponing purchases came in and bought pianos the day after the contract was announced.
From Time Magazine Archive
For the last ten years he had been postponing the necessity of buying new charts of certain sections of the North Sea.
From The Vultures by Henry Seton Merriman
He spent the afternoon pottering about camp doing odd jobs that he had been postponing for months.
From Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper
