Synonyms

postponement

American

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

noun

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.
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.

Other Word Forms

nonpostponement noun
self-postponement noun

Etymology

Origin of postponement

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

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.

He revealed “productive” talks with Iran and the postponement of strikes on power plants for five days, and within minutes Dow futures surged more than 1,000 points and oil prices plunged 10%.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

The postponement of strikes on Iranian power plants may assuage fears of a more intense and prolonged conflict.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

CPO prices are likely to be capped by a stronger ringgit, the postponement of Indonesia’s B50 biodesel mandate and higher Malaysian stock levels, IOI Corp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

"Not to mention the refunds we now need to give out due to the sudden postponement of our event which we had to notify people on the day about."

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

“Hey, Zig, could you get me a postponement on the Stepford Wives? There’s this other thing that’s come up.”

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023