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
Newsom's office previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital, deferring responsibility for the situation to the CIF, CDE and state legislature.
—
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
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
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deferring
Verb
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Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Parias, who is charged with assault on a federal officer, was still in the hospital Wednesday, postponing his first court hearing.—
Morgan Chesky,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Whether or not to cut back coneflowers is ultimately based on preference, but there are some advantages to delaying the process.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
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But SpaceX is not remotely ready to deliver, with serial failures of its mammoth Starship rocket delaying development of the lander.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deferring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deferring. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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