postpone

verb

post·​pone (ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn 

postponed; postponing

transitive verb

1

: to put off to a later time : defer

2

a

: to place later (as in a sentence) than the normal position in English

postpone an adjective

b

: to place later in order of precedence, preference, or importance

postponable

(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpō-nə-bəl 

adjective

postponement

(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn-mənt 

noun

postponer noun

Synonyms

• defer
• delay
• hold off (on)
• hold over
• hold up
• lay over
• put off
• put over
• remit
• shelve

Choose the Right Synonym for postpone

defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding.

defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Examples of postpone in a Sentence

The baseball game was postponed until tomorrow because of rain.

we'll have to postpone a decision until we have all the information

Recent Examples on the Web

The vote came at the end of a daylong meeting in Sacramento during which farmers and representatives of local groundwater agencies urged the state water board to postpone the intervention and give them more time to improve their local plan for moving toward sustainable groundwater management. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Instead, the commissioners voted to postpone the matter so staffers can look further into the cumulative effects of the launches and return with more information in a month or longer. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

The 2021 version was postponed to October 11 for the same reason. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024

If the work would need to be postponed, crews could resume activities Saturday or Monday. —Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024

In February, the Trump Organization was found liable to the tune of $464 million for borrowing against fraudulently inflated real estate values, and the $175 million bond Trump secured from Knight Specialty Insurance to postpone asset seizures until his appeal is heard looks dicey. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024

This latest addition is needed money after a Dallas County judge postponed Fitzgerald’s court date from early January to Oct. 7, according to city documents. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024

Those structural barriers cause some people to postpone having kids by necessity. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024

The Celebration Tour was originally postponed due to the singer’s sudden hospitalization with a severe bacterial infection last year. —Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin postponere to place after, postpone, from post- + ponere to place — more at position

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

postpone

verb

post·​pone pōs(t)-ˈpōn 

postponed; postponing

: to put off (as an action or event) until a later time

rain forced us to postpone the picnic

postponement

-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

postpone

transitive verb

post·​pone

postponed; postponing

1

: to put off to a later time

2

: to place later in precedence, preference, or importance

specifically : to subordinate (a lien) to a later lien

postponable adjective

postponement noun