postponement

American  

[pohst-pohn-muhnt, pohs-] / poʊstˈpoʊn mənt, poʊs- /

noun

1. the act of putting something off to a later time; deferral.

   Taking your sick or injured pet to the veterinarian should be prompt, as any postponement can lead to ongoing medical issues.

2. the act of placing a thing below something else in importance or after something else in sequence (now used most often in grammar).

   Historically, inheritance laws tended toward a postponement of the claims of female kin to those of male kin.

   In English, the end position in a sentence is normally reserved for the key point, so postponement of an element is a way of emphasizing it.

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Other Word Forms

• nonpostponement noun
• self-postponement noun

Etymology

Origin of postponement

postpone ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

In a statement - published on the last day before Parliament's Christmas break - Local Government Minister Alison McGovern said "multiple" councils had already asked for a postponement.

From BBC

The demands for more robust protections forced the European Commission to announce a postponement of Saturday's planned signing ceremony.

From Barron's

The postponement Wednesday came at the request of Reiner’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, who told the court it was “too early” to proceed.

From The Wall Street Journal

He thanked the crowd for hanging with the festival’s postponement — “I know it wasn’t ideal,” he said — and for “rocking with us for 11 years” of Flog Gnaw.

From Los Angeles Times

"The reading carries heightened importance following the postponement of October's personal consumption expenditures report, originally scheduled for 26 November, which removes a key datapoint from policymakers' assessment framework," wrote IG market analyst Fabien Yip.

From Barron's

Related Words

• adjournment
• freeze
• halt
• pause
• respite
• stay
• suspension