View synonyms for

defer

[ dih-fur ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

deferred, deferring.

to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time:
The decision has been deferred by the board until next week.
to exempt temporarily from induction into military service.

verb (used without object)

deferred, deferring.

to put off action; delay.

defer

[ dih-fur ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used without object)

deferred, deferring.

to yield respectfully in judgment or opinion (usually followed by to ):
We all defer to him in these matters.
Synonyms: , , ,

verb (used with object)

deferred, deferring.

to submit for decision; refer:
We defer questions of this kind to the president.

defer

/ ��ɪˈ��ɜː /

verb

tr to delay or cause to be delayed until a future time; postpone

defer

/ ��ɪˈ��ɜː /

verb

intrfoll byto to yield (to) or comply (with) the wishes or judgments of another
I defer to your superior knowledge

Discover More

Derived Forms

��ˈ�ڱ��, noun
��ˈ�ڱ��, adjective

Discover More

Other Word Forms

��·�ڱ��۱�� noun

Discover More

Word History and Origins

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 ��ŧ�ڱ�� “to carry from or down, report, accuse,” equivalent to ��ŧ- “from, away from, out of” + ferre “to carry”; de-, bear ¹

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of defer¹

C14: from Old French differer to be different, postpone; see differ

Origin of defer²

C15: from Latin ��ŧ�ڱ��, literally: to bear down, from de- + ferre to bear

Discover More

Synonym Study

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.

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There had been no option for her to defer her place until she was fit to compete and it highlighted what she saw as a major issue facing women and mothers.

From

Mr O'Dwyer deferred to Lloyd as the company owner to decide the final route but raised valid concerns, such as the drop over the weir.

From

An additional 85 professional court staff members — including 19 judges, interpreters, legal assistants and IT specialists took buyouts after receiving a “Fork in the Road” email that offered federal workers “deferred resignations.”

From

Conference of Catholic Bishops to defer acting on a document that could potentially deny full church participation to Biden — only the second Catholic president — and other politicians who support reproductive rights.

From

Whether you’re filing your taxes today or deferring to a later date, you can still take advantage of these discounts and deals offered today and in some cases throughout the week.

From

Related Words

defensiveness deference

Browse