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

• 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

After two court rulings blocking the city’s attempt to postpone the November 2025 election to 2026 without voter approval, one Miami commissioner isn’t giving up. —Tess Riski august 2, Miami Herald, 2 Aug. 2025

The repeat of a tragedy was something the NFL prepared for in February when New Orleans hosted Super Bowl 59 weeks after a former Army veteran killed 14 people by hitting them with a rental pickup truck in a terrorist attack on Jan. 1, postponing the Sugar Bowl for one week. —Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 1 Aug. 2025

Weather or unforeseen circumstances could postpone the closures, the release states. —Arkansas Online, 1 Aug. 2025

This can postpone valuable initiatives indefinitely, while competitors move forward with smaller but sufficient datasets that still deliver business value. —Stoyan Mitov, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025

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