postpone
To delay or reschedule something to a later time
Examples
In a meeting
“We'll need to postpone the meeting until next week.”
Over coffee
“Let's postpone dinner until you're feeling better.”
Why this word
delay
Postpone means rescheduling to a specific later time, while delay can mean just slowing down or creating an indefinite wait
defer
Postpone is more common and direct about rescheduling, while defer is more formal and can imply yielding to someone else's schedule
put off
Postpone is more formal and implies a definite rescheduling, while put off is casual and might suggest indefinite avoidance
Usage tip
Use when something is being moved to a later date rather than cancelled; implies the event will still happen
Etymology
Latin 'postponere' from 'post-' (after) + 'ponere' (to place)
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Related words
table
To postpone discussion or consideration of something
adjourn
To pause or end a meeting with intention to resume later
alternate
To switch back and forth between two or more things
lengthen
To make something longer in duration or size
shorten
To make something take less time or space
reschedule
To arrange a new time for something previously planned