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Synonyms

deferral

American  
[dih-fur-uhl] / dɪˈfɜr əl /

noun

  1. the act of deferring or putting something off until later; postponement.

    If you are unable to take the exam, you can request a deferral of your registration fees to the next exam date.

  2. deferment.

Etymology

Origin of deferral

First recorded in 1890–95; defer 1 + -al 2

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.

These forced withdrawals are payback for years of valuable tax deferral and are taxed at ordinary income rates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Vanguard said a total of 31% of participants had their deferral percentage increased from an annual auto-escalation, which led to 45% of participants increasing their savings.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent anticipated a deferral of China’s rare-earth curbs, causing recent stock declines for the sector.

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025

From Thursday, that deferral period will be cut to four years and partial payments will be allowed to start in the first year rather than in year three as previously permitted.

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025

“You believe this? That you’re deeply in love? And therefore you’ve come to me for this...this deferral? Why? Why did you come to me?”

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

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.