postpone

verb post·pone \ (ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn \

Updated on: 16 May 2018

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

—

postponable

play \(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpō-nə-bəl\ adjective

—

postponement

play \(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn-mənt\ noun

—

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

The speech was scheduled for last week, but postponed after HHS Secretary Alex Azar was hospitalized for an intestinal illness.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: Trump to deliver first-time speech on drug prices in early May," 27 Apr. 2018
The concert was originally scheduled for April 7 but was postponed due to cold weather.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "Going to the Jimmy Buffett concert Friday? Here's why you might want to be on time. | Charlotte Observer," 25 Apr. 2018
His confirmation hearing for that post had been scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed.

— jonathan cheng, WSJ, "Trump Administration Considers Adm. Harris for Seoul Ambassadorship," 24 Apr. 2018
Beutner had been scheduled for last week, but had postponed his second appearance due to a sore throat, sources told The Times.

— howard blume, latimes.com, "L.A. school board meets privately with finalists and debates choice for school district leader," 18 Apr. 2018
The Derby has never been cancelled or postponed due to inclement weather.

— logan sykes, Town & Country, "18 Kentucky Derby Facts That Will Surprise You," 17 Apr. 2018
During inclement weather, check the Tunxis website for updates at tunxis.edu, since events will be canceled or postponed if the college is closed.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 17 Apr. 2018
In part a reaction to the Ebola outbreak a couple of years ago, the drill was originally scheduled for 2017 but was postponed as two of the participating hospitals dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a HHS spokeswoman said.

— nick powell, Houston Chronicle, "Federal Ebola drill taking place at UTMB in Galveston on Thursday," 11 Apr. 2018
As a result games are being cancelled or postponed, and park leagues are threatened with extinction.

— ana veciana-suarez, miamiherald, "Misbehaving parents need a time-out from youth sports | Miami Herald," 2 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

postpone Synonyms

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

: 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 \

postponed; postponing

: to put off until a later time

—

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.

Law Dictionary

postpone

transitive verb post·pone

postponed; postponing

1 : to put off to a later time

2 : to place later in precedence, preference, or importance; specifically : to subordinate (a lien) to a later lien

—

postponable

adjective

—

postponement

noun

Learn More about postpone

See words that rhyme with postpone Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for postpone Spanish Central: Translation of postpone Nglish: Translation of postpone for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of postpone for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up postpone? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

postpone

postponable

postponement

postponer

Examples of postpone in a Sentence

Recent Examples of postpone from the Web

Origin and Etymology of postpone

postpone Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of postpone

POSTPONE Defined for English Language Learners

postpone

POSTPONE Defined for Kids

postpone

postponement

Word Root of postpone

Law Dictionary

postpone

postponable

postponement

Learn More about postpone

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

8 Insults Made Up of a Noun and a Verb

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word