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 team also had Thursday’s game against Charlotte postponed. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

The Critics Choice Awards—slated for Sunday—were postponed due to the fires, the organization told Variety. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

The National Basketball Association said the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena was postponed due to the severe weather and hazardous icy conditions in the Atlanta area. —CBS News, 11 Jan. 2025

Hollywood has further responded to the fire emergency by postponing the Critics Choice Awards from Jan. 12 to 26, and pushing the Academy Award nominations announcement from Jan. 17 to 19. —Jen Juneau, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025

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