postpone

verb

post·​pone (ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn 

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

(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpō-nə-bəl 

adjective

postponement

(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn-mənt 

noun

postponer noun

Synonyms of postpone

• defer
• delay

Choose the Right Synonym for 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 underway

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

the governor stayed the execution

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 on the Web

The Tar Heels led 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, 17-6 at halftime and 17-15 with the ball and a second-and-goal on Clemson’s 7 when a lightning delay midway through the fourth quarter postponed the game for two hours and 28 minutes. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 20 Sep. 2026

With severe shortages and daily price increases, many, like Sima, have been forced to cut doses, postpone doctor visits or self-medicate. — Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

The win for West Orange sets up a key district clash next week at Edgewater, which gained an unexpected bye week when their matchup with Jones was postponed Friday. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

As generative AI has become capable of handling much of the work that once justified junior content hires, startups had an obvious reason to postpone building communications teams. — Andrey Insarov, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for postpone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

postpone

verb

post·​pone pōs(t)-ˈpōn 

postponed; postponing

: to put off (as an action or event) until a later time

rain forced us to postpone the picnic

postponement

-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

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