as in postponing
to assign to a later time
we agreed to defer a discussion of the issue until we had more information
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Recent Examples of deferring
The substantial-evidence standard, used by the federal appeals court, looked at whether an immigration judge’s finding had evidence to support it, deferring nearly all of the fact-finding and evaluation of the person’s asylum claim to the immigration judge’s proceedings.
—
Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 4 Mar. 2026
The Houston Astros gave Smith periodic pregame work in center field but did not play him there, deferring the idea with a prospect already navigating a move from the infield.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2026
Patients in Minnesota are canceling appointments and deferring critical health care needs because of fear of immigration enforcement as the federal crackdown continues, doctors say.
—Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Just as financial advisors recommend deferring enough into a 401(k) plan to benefit from your employer's full matching contribution, there is no reason to pass this free money up.
—Jessica Dickler,kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
Williams deferring any evaluation about a rivalry to the media.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Hoyer made amends for his quiet winter by signing Bregman and acquiring starting pitcher Edward Cabrera in the same week, and Ricketts was absolved by finally opening his wallet and deferring $70 million like a real large-market owner.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
But as IndieWire’s Ben Travers explained in his Season 2 review, the latest installments get bogged down by world-building and franchise positioning — effectively deferring emotional resolution and narrative momentum too long for a game or a TV show.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
Few are buying machinery and some are deferring equipment maintenance, trimming fertilizer, seed and chemical costs, and trying to renegotiate farmland rental agreements.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 4 Mar. 2026
The Houston Astros gave Smith periodic pregame work in center field but did not play him there, deferring the idea with a prospect already navigating a move from the infield.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 24 Feb. 2026
Patients in Minnesota are canceling appointments and deferring critical health care needs because of fear of immigration enforcement as the federal crackdown continues, doctors say.
—Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Just as financial advisors recommend deferring enough into a 401(k) plan to benefit from your employer's full matching contribution, there is no reason to pass this free money up.
—Jessica Dickler,kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
Williams deferring any evaluation about a rivalry to the media.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Hoyer made amends for his quiet winter by signing Bregman and acquiring starting pitcher Edward Cabrera in the same week, and Ricketts was absolved by finally opening his wallet and deferring $70 million like a real large-market owner.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
But as IndieWire’s Ben Travers explained in his Season 2 review, the latest installments get bogged down by world-building and franchise positioning — effectively deferring emotional resolution and narrative momentum too long for a game or a TV show.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
Few are buying machinery and some are deferring equipment maintenance, trimming fertilizer, seed and chemical costs, and trying to renegotiate farmland rental agreements.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deferring
Verb
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Tabling the bill means legislators are postponing the matter and might not revisit it this session, but could bring it up again later.—
Morgan Matzen,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
5 Mar. 2026
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Ekko Astral are postponing their second album, The Beltway Is Burning.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The union is calling for an inflationary increase to wages effective July 1, while Cassellius has proposed delaying inflationary raises until January to save money.—
Rory Linnane,
jsonline.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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The inspector general accused the department of blocking long-standing access to internal DHS databases used for oversight work, restricting data related to border enforcement and TSA programs, and delaying access to classified intelligence systems.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deferring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferring. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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