postpone

verb

post·​pone (ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn How to pronounce postpone (audio)
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 adjective
postponement noun
postponer noun
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 Hallmark also postponed the launch of Bentley’s first fully electric vehicle to late 2026, rather than next year. Jamie Nimmo, Fortune Europe, 22 Mar. 2024 Beatrice postponed college for a year and remained with us through the fall. David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024 King Charles has postponed public-facing duties while receiving cancer treatment and has continued to work behind the scenes, most recently meeting with the high commissioners for Tanzania and Singapore at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024 Abbas has led the PA for nearly two decades, postponing elections most recently in 2021. Raja Khalidi, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2024 Florida has now postponed a fetal personhood bill amid concerns about impacting IVF treatments. Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2024 Then discuss whether anything on the list can be dropped, streamlined, postponed, automated, outsourced, stretched out on a longer schedule. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024 The judge also postponed the grand jury proceeding from November to Jan. 18, to give more time to review the material the defense wished to be presented to the grand jury. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 In Kansas, one utility has postponed the retirement of a coal plant to help power a giant electric-car battery factory. Brad Plumer, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'postpone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of postpone was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near postpone

Cite this Entry

“Postpone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postpone. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

postpone

verb
post·​pone pōs(t)-ˈpōn How to pronounce postpone (audio)
postponed; postponing
: to put off (as an action or event) until a later time
rain forced us to postpone the picnic
postponement 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

More from Merriam-Webster on postpone

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