intr.v. de·ferred, de·fer·ring, de·fers 1. To put off; postpone. 2. To postpone the induction of (one eligible for the military draft). [Middle English differren, to postpone, differ; see DIFFER.] de·ferra·ble adj. de·ferrer n. Synonyms: defer1, postpone, shelve, suspend These verbs mean to put off until a later time: deferred paying the bills; postponing our trip; shelved the issue; suspending train service. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
v. de·ferred, de·fer·ring, de·fers v.intr. To submit to the wish or decision of another, as in recognition of authority. See Synonyms at yield. v.tr. To commit or entrust to another: The principal deferred the decision to the school board. [Middle English deferen, from Old French deferer, from Latin dēferre, to carry away, refer to : dē-, de- + ferre, to carry; see bher-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] de·ferrer n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.