postpone

post·pone

transitive verb \(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn\

post·ponedpost·pon·ing

Definition of POSTPONE

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

— post·pon·able \-ˈpō-nə-bəl\ adjective

— post·pone·ment \-ˈpōn-mənt\ noun

— post·pon·er noun

Examples of POSTPONE

1. The baseball game was postponed until tomorrow because of rain.
2. <we'll have to postpone a decision until we have all the information>

Origin of POSTPONE

Latin postponere to place after, postpone, from post- + ponere to place — more at position

First Known Use: circa 1520

Related to POSTPONE

Synonyms

defer, delay, hold off (on), hold over, hold up, lay over, put off, put over, remit, shelve

Related Words

suspend; hesitate, pause, stay; detain, retard, slow; extend, lengthen, prolong, protract, stretch (out); wait

Near Antonyms

act, deal (with), decide (upon), do, work (on)

See Synonym Discussion at defer

Rhymes with POSTPONE

agon, aitchbone, alone, atone, backbone, Bastogne, bemoan, Big Stone, birthstone, Blackstone, bloodstone, bluestone, bondstone, Boulogne, breastbone, bridge loan, brimstone, brownstone, call loan, calzone, Capone, capstone, cell phone, cheekbone, chinbone, cogon, cologne, Cologne, colon, colón, Colón, condone, copestone, corn pone, curbstone, cyclone, daimon, dapsone, debone, depone, dethrone, dial tone, disown, Dordogne, downzone, dripstone, drop zone, drystone, earphone, earth tone, end zone, enthrone, estrone, fieldstone, firestone, Firestone, flagstone, flowstone, flyblown, footstone, freestone, free zone, full-blown, gallstone, gemstone, Gijón, goldstone, gravestone, greenstone, grindstone, hailstone, halftone, handblown, hard stone, headphone, headstone, hearthstone, high-flown, hip bone, homegrown, hormone, hornstone, impone, ingrown, inkstone, in stone, intone, jawbone, jewel tone, keystone, León, leone, life zone, limestone, lodestone, long bone, Maidstone, milestone, millstone, moonstone, mudstone, nose cone, oilstone, orgone, ozone, pay phone, peptone, pinbone, pinecone, piñon, pipestone, potstone, propone, redbone, red zone, rhinestone, sandstone, shade-grown, shinbone, siltstone, snow cone, soapstone, splint bone, strike zone, T-bone, tailbone, thighbone, time zone, toadstone, tombstone, touchstone, touch-tone, tritone, trombone, turnstone, twelve-tone, two-tone, Tyrone, unknown, unthrone, war zone, well-known, whalebone, wheel-thrown, whetstone, windblown, wishbone, Yangon