defer
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time.
The decision has been deferred by the board until next week.
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to exempt temporarily from induction into military service.
verb (used without object)
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
verb
Related Words
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. procrastinate.
Other Word Forms
- deferrable adjective
- deferrer noun
Etymology
Origin of defer1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English deferen, differren “to delay”; defer 2 differ
Origin of defer2
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”; de-, bear 1
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.
John Hughes — who wrote the film’s screenplay but deferred direction to his collaborator, Howard Deutch — had a way of making even the obvious seem natural.
From Salon
If it distributes the asset, beneficiaries can wait to sell it, deferring any tax bills.
From Barron's
The administration, Mr. Oz said, has notified Minnesota that it is “deferring” $259 million in quarterly Medicaid payments to the state until it acts to get its fraud under control.
"Then everything suddenly felt very drastic. We had to defer our plans."
From BBC
The mall had insufficient exterior lighting, the city said and graffiti resulting from deferred or neglected maintenance.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
