DEFER Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'defer' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of defer are postpone , stay , and suspend . While all these words mean "to delay an action or proceeding," defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time. // deferred buying a car until spring

Q: When could 'postpone' be used to replace 'defer'?

While in some cases nearly identical to defer , postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time. // the game is postponed until Saturday

Q: When is it sensible to use 'stay' instead of 'defer'?

While the synonyms stay and defer are close in meaning, stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority. // the governor stayed the execution

Q: Where would 'suspend' be a reasonable alternative to 'defer'?

The words suspend and defer are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied. // business will be suspended while repairs are underway

defer

verb

di-ˈfər

Definition of defer next

as in to postpone

to assign to a later time we agreed to defer a discussion of the issue until we had more information

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word defer distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of defer are postpone, stay, and suspend. While all these words mean "to delay an action or proceeding," defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

When could postpone be used to replace defer?

While in some cases nearly identical to defer, postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

When is it sensible to use stay instead of defer?

While the synonyms stay and defer are close in meaning, stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Where would suspend be a reasonable alternative to defer?

The words suspend and defer are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defer Gaza names the moment when the mandate of the oppositional intellectual can no longer be deferred, aestheticized, or selectively applied. —

Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026 That requires decisions that many firms have deferred for too long. —

Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but in the NBA, hope deferred makes a franchise irrelevant. —

Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026 Lauriault deferred an interview request to Skate Canada, whose spokeswoman declined to make the skaters available. —

Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 3 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defer

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defer

Verb

At a Friday court hearing for the family’s asylum case, a judge granted a continuance, which postpones the case to a later date, family attorney Danielle Molliver told CNN.

— Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
The album was scheduled for a May 21, 2025 release, but Del Rey ultimately postponed it, changed the title to Stove, and went back into the studio.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026