defer
Verb
Verb Forms: deferred, deferring, defers
- To postpone an action or decision.
- hold back to a later time
- yield to another's wish or opinion
- To delay or postpone.
- To delay or postpone.
- to postpone induction into military service.
- After winning the opening coin toss, to postpone until the start of the second half a team's choice of whether to kick off or receive (and to allow the opposing team to make this choice at the start of the first half).
- To delay, to wait.
- To submit to the opinion or desire of others in respect to their judgment or authority.
- To render, to offer.
Examples
- She decided to defer her challenge until she was absolutely certain of the word’s invalidity.
- We're going to defer the decision until we have all the facts.
Origin / Etymology
Originally a variant of (and hence a doublet of) differ; from Middle English differren (“to postpone”), from Old French differer, from Latin differō. Doublet of differ and dilate. See also infer, collate and confer, delate and defer, relate and refer as well as prelate and prefer among others.
Synonyms
accede, bow, give in, hold over, postpone, prorogue, put off, put over, remit, set back, shelve, submit, table
Scrabble Score: 9
defer: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Worddefer: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
defer: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary