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
Had Darnold not crumbled in the postseason, re-signing him to a multi-year deal and deferring McCarthy to a three-year development plan would have been reasonable.
—
Trevor Squire, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Cox also called for unity in hopes of deferring political violence.
—Lee Ann Anderson, The Hill, 29 Sep. 2025
Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Joelle Baird did not say how a shutdown would impact the park, deferring questions to a National Park Service media line.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
The panel chose not to take a vote on whether to recommend the shot for pregnant women, deferring the decision to CDC officials, Retsef Levi, a member of the advisory committee, said during the meeting.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
The decision marks an extraordinary break with the country’s history of deferring justice in the name of peace.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
While many executives are pausing on big hires or deferring large projects, Dave Anderson, Founder of TSC Security, argues that protecting your company’s digital assets should not be placed on the back burner.
—Matt Emma, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Medical students often toe the line between speaking up and deferring in situations.
—Kristen Moon, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Procedures for excusing or deferring jury duty differs by county, according to the state’s judicial website.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
Trevor Squire, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Cox also called for unity in hopes of deferring political violence.
—Lee Ann Anderson, The Hill, 29 Sep. 2025
Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Joelle Baird did not say how a shutdown would impact the park, deferring questions to a National Park Service media line.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
The panel chose not to take a vote on whether to recommend the shot for pregnant women, deferring the decision to CDC officials, Retsef Levi, a member of the advisory committee, said during the meeting.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
The decision marks an extraordinary break with the country’s history of deferring justice in the name of peace.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
While many executives are pausing on big hires or deferring large projects, Dave Anderson, Founder of TSC Security, argues that protecting your company’s digital assets should not be placed on the back burner.
—Matt Emma, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Medical students often toe the line between speaking up and deferring in situations.
—Kristen Moon, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Procedures for excusing or deferring jury duty differs by county, according to the state’s judicial website.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deferring
Verb
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Sharon eventually canceled the farewell tour after repeatedly postponing the dates, and Ozzy continued to steadily deteriorate.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
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Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The federal government shut down Wednesday, delaying pay for federal workers (of whom there are 25,000 in Indiana), placing question marks on the financial health of federal aid programs like SNAP and WIC, and causing mass confusion and limbo in immigration court.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
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Staffing challenges – either at the local level, at the federal level or both – also could play a significant role in delaying interactions between the CDC and local health departments.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deferring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferring. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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