deferred

adjective

de·​ferred di-ˈfərd 

1

: withheld for or until a stated time

a deferred payment

2

: charged in cases of delayed handling

telegraphs sent at deferred rates

Examples of deferred in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rebuild Illinois was a down payment on decades of deferred maintenance, not the final payment. — Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026

Freighted with history, Fraser’s sleeping figures hold in suspension all that de Monteflores’s motherhood deferred. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

The results are larger class sizes, fewer counselors, deferred maintenance and another round of painful budget cuts. — Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

That’s deferred revenue that won’t be recognized by the IMG division until the event takes place in 2028. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of defer entry 1

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing deferred

• tax-deferred

Rhymes for deferred

• afterword
• firebird
• hummingbird
• ladybird
• mockingbird
• overheard
• thunderbird
• undergird
• undeterred
• absurd
• averred
• bluebird

Legal Definition

deferred

adjective

de·​ferred

di-ˈfərd

: withheld or delayed for or until a stated time

a deferred payment

deferred prosecution