defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding. defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

defer action/a decision The committee decided to defer a decision on the takeover bid until a later date.

DEFER definition: to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time. See examples of defer used in a sentence.

(foll by: to) to yield (to) or comply (with) the wishes or judgments of another: I defer to your superior knowledge.

Definition of defer verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Defer definition: To put off; postpone.

DEFER meaning: 1 : to choose to do (something) at a later time; 2 : to allow (someone else) to decide or choose something

Dec 14, 2025 · defer (third-person singular simple present defers, present participle deferring, simple past and past participle deferred) (transitive) To delay or postpone. quotations

Defer means to put off or delay. You can try to defer the inevitable by pushing “snooze” and falling back asleep, but eventually you're going to have to get up. If you're excellent at pushing things …

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 …