defer

de·fer
D2E1F4E1R1
UK/dɪˈfɜː//dɪˈfeː//dɪˈfɛː//dɪˈfɜː(ɹ)/

verb

To delay or postpone.

“We're going to defer the decision until we have all the facts.”

Similar
submitpostponeproroguehold overput overtableshelveset back
OriginMiddle English differren ← Old French differer ← Latin differō →
Less commonScrabble 9
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Meanings

defer1

verbdefer (third-person singular simple present defers, present participle deferring, simple past and past participle deferred)

present singular third person defers · participle present deferring · participle past deferred · past deferred

  1. transitiveTo delay or postpone.

    We're going to defer the decision until we have all the facts.

    2 more examples

    Deferre the ſpoile of the Citie vntill night:

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii], page 141, column 2

    My journey to Ingolstadt, which had been deferred by these events, was now again determined upon.

    1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter II, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume I, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 65
    1. commonespeciallytransitivehistoricallyto postpone induction into military service.
  2. American footballAfter winning the opening coin toss, to postpone until the start of the second half a team's choice of whether to kick off or receive (and to allow the opposing team to make this choice at the start of the first half).
  3. intransitiveTo delay, to wait.

    God […] will not long defer / To vindicate the glory of his name

    1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 34, lines 474–476

defer2

verbdefer (third-person singular simple present defers, present participle deferring, simple past and past participle deferred)

present singular third person defers · participle present deferring · participle past deferred · past deferred

  1. ambitransitiveTo submit to the opinion or desire of others in respect to their judgment or authority.

    "Defer/Defer/To the Lord High Executioner."

    1885, W.S. Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, The Mikado
    2 more examples

    Hereupon the commissioners […] deferred the matter to the Earl of Northumberland.

    1622, Francis Bacon, History of the Reign of King Henry VII

    "Well, I must defer to your judgment. You are captain," he said with marked civility.

    1899 March, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number MI, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part II

    Synonyms: submit

  2. To render, to offer.

    worship deferred to the Virgin

    1872, Daniel Brevint, Saul and Samuel at Endor

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo submit to the opinion or desire of others in respect to their judgment or authority.

Similar
submit

More synonyms by meaning

verbhold back to a later time

Similar
postponeproroguehold overput overtableshelveset backremitput off
Broader
delay

verbyield to another's wish or opinion

Similar
submitbowaccedegive in
Broader
yieldgive insuccumb
Also see
abideaccedebowdelaygive inhold onhold one's horseshold one's peehold one's pisshold one's waterhold overkick the can down the roadmothballpostponeprocrastinateprorogueput offput overremitroll backset backshelvestand bystrike sailsubmittabletarrywaityield

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

defer · verb

  1. Latindifferō
  2. Old Frenchdifferer
  3. Middle Englishdifferren“to postpone”
  4. Englishdefer

Originally a variant of (and hence a doublet of) differ; from Middle English differren (“to postpone”), from Old French differer, from Latin differō. Doublet of differ and dilate. See also infer, collate and confer, delate and defer, relate and refer as well as prelate and prefer among others.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

defer · verb

  1. Latindēferō
  2. Middle Frenchdéférer
  3. Middle Englishdifferren“to refer for judgement”
  4. Englishdefer

From late Middle English differren (“to refer for judgement”), from Middle French déférer, from Latin dēferō. Doublet of delate. See also infer, collate and confer, relate and refer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.

More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀναβάλλω
  • ἀναβάλλω (anabállō)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
Bulgarian отлагам, отсрочвам
  • отлагам (otlagam)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • отсрочвам (otsročvam)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • отстъпвам (otstăpvam)to submit to the opinion or desire of another
Chinese Mandarin 延緩 /延缓
  • 延緩 /延缓 (yánhuǎn)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
Czech váhat, vyčkávat
  • váhat(intransitive) to delay
  • vyčkávat(intransitive) to delay
  • otálet(intransitive) to delay
  • odkládat(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • zpozdit(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • zdržet(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • pozdržet(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • opozdit(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • odložit(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • oddalovat(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • oddálit(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • podrobit seto submit to the opinion or desire of another
Dutch talmen, dralen
  • talmen(intransitive) to delay
  • dralen(intransitive) to delay
  • uitstellen(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • zich voegento submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • conformerento submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • onderwerpento submit to the opinion or desire of another
Finnish viivytellä, lykätä
  • viivytellä(intransitive) to delay
  • lykätä(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • myöhentää(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • mukautuato submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • myöntyäto submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • taipuato submit to the opinion or desire of another
French différer, reporter
  • différer(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • reporter(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • remettre(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • s'en remettreto submit to the opinion or desire of another
German abwarten, zuwarten
  • abwarten(intransitive) to delay
  • zuwarten(intransitive) to delay
  • zögern(intransitive) to delay
  • aufschieben(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • aufheben(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • verzögern(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • vertagen(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • verschieben(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • zurückstellen(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • hinausschieben(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • stunden(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • aussetzen(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • fügento submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • beugento submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • einlassento submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • unterwerfento submit to the opinion or desire of another
  • nachgebento submit to the opinion or desire of another
Hungarian elhalaszt, enged (valaminek)
  • elhalaszt(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • enged (valaminek)to submit to the opinion or desire of another
Japanese 延期する
  • 延期する (enki suru)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
Māori tinaku, whakatārewa
  • tinaku(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • whakatārewa(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • whakamiramirato submit to the opinion or desire of another
Persian تمکین کردن
  • تمکین کردن (tamkin kardan)to submit to the opinion or desire of another
Polish zwlekać, odraczać
  • zwlekać(intransitive) to delay
  • odraczać(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • odroczyć(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • odkładać(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • odłożyć(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
Portuguese adiar, pospor
  • adiar(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • pospor(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • deferirto submit to the opinion or desire of another
Russian откла́дывать, отложи́ть
  • откла́дывать (otkládyvatʹ)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • отложи́ть (otložítʹ)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • отсро́чивать (otsróčivatʹ)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • отсро́чить (otsróčitʹ)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • положиться (položitʹsja)to submit to the opinion or desire of another
Slovak podvoliť sa
  • podvoliť sato submit to the opinion or desire of another
Spanish diferir, deferir
  • diferir(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • deferirto submit to the opinion or desire of another
Swedish skjuta upp, hänskjuta
  • skjuta upp(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • hänskjutato submit to the opinion or desire of another
Turkish gecikmek, geciktirmek
  • gecikmek(intransitive) to delay
  • geciktirmek(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • tehir etmek(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • bekletmek(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • yubatmak(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
Ukrainian відклада́ти, відкла́сти
  • відклада́ти (vidkladáty)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • відкла́сти (vidklásty)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • відстро́чувати (vidstróčuvaty)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • відстро́чити (vidstróčyty)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • відтерміно́вувати (vidterminóvuvaty)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off
  • відтермінува́ти (vidterminuváty)(transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with defer

yourwereherpermatureensurevoyeurreferoccurmirrorsircellularerpreferintercureurentrepreneurinsurestirerrcurobscurebur
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Feder
Cite this entry
APA

defer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defer

MLA

“defer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defer. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “defer,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defer.

Source: defer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.