defer

¹

[ dih-fur ]

verb (used with object)

, de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

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.

verb (used without object)

, de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

1. to put off action; delay.

defer

²

[ dih-fur ]

verb (used without object)

, de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

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

   We all defer to him in these matters.

   Synonyms: capitulate, acquiesce, submit, accede

verb (used with object)

, de·ferred, de·fer·ring.

1. to submit for decision; refer:

   We defer questions of this kind to the president.

defer

¹

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

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

   I defer to your superior knowledge

defer

²

/ dɪˈfɜː /

verb

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

Derived Forms

• deˈferrer, noun
• deˈferrable, adjective

Other Words From

• de·ferrer noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of defer¹

C15: from Latin dēferre, literally: to bear down, from de- + ferre to bear

Origin of defer²

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

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.

Example Sentences

The state plans to return some funding deferred last year, but the overall reduction will amount to 5.6%, or more than $270 million.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, Congress and the courts consistently deferred to the will of the president when it came to actions taken in the name of that war on terror.

From Salon

The report also said the tower and the World Trade Center garage at 333 S. Flower St. included in the deal require about $1.3 million to address urgently needed repairs and deferred maintenance.

From Los Angeles Times

Most other companies are deferring action until there’s more regulatory clarity.

From Los Angeles Times

Sentence has been deferred until 5 December, when a full mitigation will be provided by Hogg's legal team.

From BBC

Related Words

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