postpone
Americanverb (used with object)
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postpones,
present (3rd person singular)
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postponed,
past participle, past
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postponing
present participle
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to put off to a later time; defer.
He has postponed his departure until tomorrow.
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to place after in order of importance or estimation; subordinate.
to postpone private ambitions to the public welfare.
verb
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to put off or delay until a future time
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to put behind in order of importance; defer
Synonym Usage
See defer 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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postponementnoun
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postponernoun
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repostponeverb (used with object)
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nonpostponableadjective
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postponableadjective
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unpostponableadjective
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unpostponedadjective
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well-postponedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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postponesimple
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postponessimple
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have postponedperfect
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has postponedperfect
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am postponingprogressive
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are postponingprogressive
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is postponingprogressive
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have been postponingperfect progressive
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has been postponingperfect progressive
Past
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postponedsimple
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had postponedperfect
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was postponingprogressive
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were postponingprogressive
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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
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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:
Wearable technology company Oura, which makes the smart-ring health tracker, is the latest to postpone an initial offering due to market uncertainty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
That added heat helped postpone autumn freeze-up, which in turn extended the melt season.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
It could also postpone the products and revenue intended to justify those investments.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Al Marimi is now due to stand trial in Washington in January, after a federal court judge agreed to postpone the case for a third time.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Arm hoped the roach family would postpone their happy hour until later.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
“Today’s decision merely postpones adjudication of those challenges,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in one dissent, joined by Justice Elena Kagan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The deal, set to be signed Friday, also postpones rather than resolves the conflict’s central disputes.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
For the insurer, that only postpones the pain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
It postpones certain tax-filing deadlines for Americans and their spouses who are wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad.
From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2024
Sylvia saw him as one sees a picture on first entering a gallery, which one postpones visiting with a scarcely conscious and yet perfectly deliberate anticipation of pleasure later on.
From The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett by Compton MacKenzie
I postponed my grief for a night, but it was waiting for me at the door.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
A fresh legal bid by the residents to prevent the march was due to be heard on Friday - but has now been postponed until Monday.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
The UK-EU summit had been due to be held in July in Brussels, but was postponed when Starmer was ousted.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Al-Zaidi had set Wednesday as a deadline for militias to surrender their weapons, but has since postponed it to June 2027.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Even the Trial stadiums have postponed the Trials scheduled for the day the storm will arrive.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
But he warned against allowing the choice to become an excuse for postponing saving.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Waiting and postponing is not, in my opinion, an option.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
U.S. assistance may also be about postponing some unpleasant financial developments at home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
If either MP becomes prime minister they will have to decide whether to stick to the current plan or unpick it, further postponing its implementation.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
“Well, we can’t go on postponing it any longer, can we? We’ve got to decide now!” he said.
From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen
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.
