defer

¹ American  

[dih-fur] / dɪˈfɜr /

verb (used with object)

deferred, deferring

1. to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time.

   The decision has been deferred by the board until next week.

2. to exempt temporarily from induction into military service.

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verb (used without object)

deferred, deferring

1. to put off action; delay.

defer ² American  

[dih-fur] / dɪˈfɜr /

verb (used without object)

deferred, deferring

1. to yield respectfully in judgment or opinion (usually followed byto ).

   We all defer to him in these matters.

   Synonyms:

   capitulate, acquiesce, submit, accede

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verb (used with object)

deferred, deferring

1. to submit for decision; refer.

   We defer questions of this kind to the president.

defer ¹ British  

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

1. (tr) to delay or cause to be delayed until a future time; postpone

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defer ² British  

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

1. to yield (to) or comply (with) the wishes or judgments of another

   I defer to your superior knowledge

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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

Leaders don’t get power if they don’t maneuver; but they misuse their power if they don’t also defer to the reality principle.

From The Wall Street Journal

Afterward people kept trying to get Knight and Keller to brag on their goals, but they kept deferring to teammates, to all the talent, to their goalie, Aerin Frankel.

From The Wall Street Journal

The remaining consideration includes guaranteed deferred payments over the subsequent 18 months and other payments tied to the achievement of financial targets through early 2029.

From Barron's

The rest of the deal’s value will include guaranteed deferred payments over 18 months, plus payments tied to achieving agreed-upon financial targets.

From MarketWatch

The remaining consideration consists of guaranteed deferred payments over the 18 months following closing, and additional payments tied to the meeting of certain financial targets through early 2029.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adjourn
• delay
• extend
• hold up
• postpone
• prolong
• set aside
• shelve
• stall
• suspend
• waive