MEANING
1. To postpone an action or decision.
2. To accept another person's judgment or authority as taking precedence.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- defer a decision
- defer payment
On the page
They deferred the decision until the missing passenger could be found.
She deferred payment but would not defer the question.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- defer
- Past tense
- deferred
- Past participle
- deferred
- Present participle
- deferring
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- defer
- Present continuous
- am/is/are deferring
- Present perfect
- have/has deferred
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been deferring
- Past
- deferred
- Past continuous
- was/were deferring
- Past perfect
- had deferred
- Past perfect continuous
- had been deferring
- Future
- will defer
- Future continuous
- will be deferring
- Future perfect
- will have deferred
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been deferring
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: defer; defers; deferred; deferred; deferring Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: defers.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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