deferred

adjective

de·​ferred di-ˈfərd How to pronounce deferred (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There was guidance on the treatment of some kinds of deferred tax assets that existed before the OECD minimum tax applied. Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 Many of Milwaukee’s schools had gone without regular painting and maintenance for years: A report submitted to the Wisconsin legislature last year showed that the schools needed more than $250 million in deferred maintenance. Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 9 May 2025 As of March 2025, the agency’s workforce had fallen by more than 11,000 employees, or 11%, due to probationary terminations and the deferred resignation program, according to a May 2 report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 7 May 2025 But revenue agents — the IRS workers who perform audits — have seen a much bigger hit, with 31% of those workers, or about 3,600 auditors, taking either the deferred resignation plan or getting fired in the first three months of 2025, the report found. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for deferred

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of defer entry 1

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of deferred was in 1651

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Cite this Entry

“Deferred.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deferred. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

Legal Definition

deferred

adjective
de·​ferred
di-ˈfərd
: withheld or delayed for or until a stated time
a deferred payment
deferred prosecution

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