postpone

verb post·pone \ (ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn \

Definition of postpone

postponed; postponing

transitive verb

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

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postponable

play \-ˈpō-nə-bəl\ adjective

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postponement

play \-ˈpōn-mənt\ noun

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postponer

noun

See postpone defined for English-language learners

See postpone defined for kids

Examples of postpone in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of postpone from the Web

That game was originally scheduled for this past Sunday but was postponed due to the storm and now will be held at Baylor University in Waco.

— steve jones, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville football | RB Jeremy Smith's relatives in Louisiana, Texas deal with effects of Tropical Storm Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
A Pacific League girls’ golf match at Santa Anita Golf Course in Arcadia was postponed, in addition to nonleague girls’ tennis matches between Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and Chaminade and Glendale and Mayfield.

— staff reports, Glendale News-Press, "Sports Briefs: Hoover football game cancelled," 29 Aug. 2017
Southwest had planned to announce sale fares to accompany the new routes, but those are temporarily postponed because of the current turmoil surrounding Tropical Storm Harvey in Texas.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Southwest adds nonstops to Puerto Vallarta, El Paso, Newark," 28 Aug. 2017
The trip was originally planned for earlier in August but was postponed to accommodate the Congressional calendar.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Delusional White House Employee Still Thinks Mexico Might Pay for the Wall," 24 Aug. 2017
The vigil was originally planned for Saturday evening, but Broadway postponed it due to weather.

— gregory s. schneider, Washington Post, "After violence in Charlottesville, vigils for peace and healing," 13 Aug. 2017
The IEBC postponed testing of its election results-transmission system and will announce a new date soon, Chebukati said.

— eric ombok, Bloomberg.com, "U.S., U.K. Offer to Help Probe Murder of Kenyan Election Official," 1 Aug. 2017
A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about FARA enforcement was scheduled for Wednesday, until it was postponed by Grassley on Tuesday.

— rosie gray, The Atlantic, "Russian Anti-Sanctions Campaign Turned To California Congressman," 18 July 2017
A vote was postponed last month also due to limited support.

— Washington Post, "More hurdles as Senate again delays vote on GOP health bill," 16 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'postpone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of postpone

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

postpone Synonyms

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)

Synonym Discussion of postpone

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

- deferred buying a car until spring

postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

- the game is postponed until Saturday

suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

- business will be suspended while repairs are under way

stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

- the governor stayed the execution

POSTPONE Defined for English Language Learners

postpone

verb

Definition of postpone for English Language Learners

: to decide that something which had been planned for a particular time will be done at a later time instead

POSTPONE Defined for Kids

postpone

verb post·pone \ pōst-ˈpōn \

Definition of postpone for Students

postponed; postponing

:to put off until a later time

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postponement

\-mənt\ noun

Word Root of postpone

The Latin word ponere, meaning “to place” or “to put,” and its form positus give us the roots pon and pos. Words from the Latin ponere have something to do with putting. A position is the location or way in which something has been placed. To expose is to put out in the open. To postpone is to put off until a later time. Posture is the way a body has been placed.