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

Phrasal verb defer to (Definition of defer from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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

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 delay …

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.

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

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 a later …

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 delay …