postpone
Americanverb (used with object)
-
postpones,
present (3rd person singular)
-
postponed,
past participle, past
-
postponing
present participle
-
to put off to a later time; defer.
He has postponed his departure until tomorrow.
-
to place after in order of importance or estimation; subordinate.
to postpone private ambitions to the public welfare.
verb
-
to put off or delay until a future time
-
to put behind in order of importance; defer
Synonym Usage
See defer 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
postponementnoun
-
postponernoun
-
repostponeverb (used with object)
-
nonpostponableadjective
-
postponableadjective
-
unpostponableadjective
-
unpostponedadjective
-
well-postponedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
postponesimple
-
postponessimple
-
have postponedperfect
-
has postponedperfect
-
am postponingprogressive
-
are postponingprogressive
-
is postponingprogressive
-
have been postponingperfect progressive
-
has been postponingperfect progressive
Past
-
postponedsimple
-
had postponedperfect
-
was postponingprogressive
-
were postponingprogressive
-
had been postponingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of postpone
First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin postpōnere “to put after, lay aside,” equivalent to post- post- + pōnere “to put”
Explanation
To postpone something is to put it off until later. You can postpone an appointment today and reschedule it for tomorrow. Anything you're putting for is being postponed: people postpone things they don't have time to do or just don't want to do. Since doctor and dental appointments are no fun, people postpone them a lot. You can postpone small things, like going to the store or watching a video. The government can postpone big things, like the passing of bills or the invasion of another country. People who procrastinate are constantly postponing. When you see the word postpone, think "Later!"
Vocabulary lists containing postpone
Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Bridge to Terabithia
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Smile
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
"Delays in specimen collection, transportation and testing can postpone confirmation by days or weeks, which hinders the isolation of infected persons, contact tracing and the initiation of outbreak-control measures," Sullivan wrote.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
It could also postpone the products and revenue intended to justify those investments.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The singer-songwriter’s management team on Monday posted the update on her social media pages, writing that she “must postpone her performances due to an unexpected medical emergency.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
In later years, Parton had to postpone or cancel several shows for health treatment.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“We could no longer postpone a choice about which path to take.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The plan also postpones more complex negotiations over its nuclear programme, a major sticking point for Trump.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
Gen. Ambrose Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac, “but if the couchant lion postpones his spring too long, people will begin wondering whether he is not a stuffed specimen after all.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The young adult rom-com follows Avery Blackwell, a rising college freshman who postpones her plans to attend Columbia after a note from her late mother sends her on a scavenger hunt in England.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025
It postpones certain tax-filing deadlines for Americans and their spouses who are wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad.
From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2024
Every week of idleness postpones our wedding day.'
From Niece Catherine by Mary Hampden
He declared three days of mourning and postponed the start of campaigning for elections scheduled for January.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Before the postponed Holtec IPO, investors were spooked after UBS downgraded NuScale to “sell,” questioning its path to profitability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Monday’s scheduled meeting of Gulf and Iranian leaders in Oman was postponed, but our understanding is talks are still ongoing, and making progress,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
But on Monday, a federal district court judge in Massachusetts postponed the effective date on the grounds that—and I am paraphrasing here—the rule is mind-bendingly stupid and would create a needless, self-inflicted economic catastrophe.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
From the newspaper she learned that the opening of the traditional autumn hay maze had been postponed due to excessive rain.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
“Waiting and postponing is not, in my opinion, an option.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Castellucci is accused of postponing work on pier number 9 and faces 18 years in prison.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Some demographers see these women as simply postponing pregnancy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Critics say it’s just postponing coal’s inevitable demise.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
The sacred mission of the Triple Alliance, Tlacaelel proclaimed, was to furnish this vital substance to Huitzilopochtli, who would then use it for the sun, postponing the death of everyone on the planet.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
