postpone

1 of 2

verb

post·​pone (ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn How to pronounce postpone (audio)
postponed; postponing
Synonyms of postpone

transitive verb

1
: to put off to a later time : defer
2
a
: to place later (as in a sentence) than the normal position in English
postpone an adjective
b
: to place later in order of precedence, preference, or importance
postponable
(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpō-nə-bəl How to pronounce postpone (audio)
adjective
postponement
(ˌ)pōs(t)-ˈpōn-mənt How to pronounce postpone (audio)
noun
postponer noun

postponement

2 of 2

noun

post·​pone·​ment -mənt How to pronounce postponement (audio)
plural -s
: the act of postponing or the condition of being postponed : deferment, delay
ordered a 30-day postponement
the temporary postponement of inflation—Clark Kerr

Synonyms of postpone

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for postpone

defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding.

defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Examples of postpone in a Sentence

Verb The baseball game was postponed until tomorrow because of rain. we'll have to postpone a decision until we have all the information
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
The series was postponed due to weather on Friday night, pushing both Games 4 and 5 back one day each. — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 There is no off day for travel after Friday’s game was postponed by rain. — Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 Game 4 of the American League Championship Series was postponed because of rain Friday night. — Joe Reedy, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 General elections were supposed to be held in December; they have been postponed indefinitely. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for postpone

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin postponere to place after, postpone, from post- + ponere to place — more at position

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of postpone was in the 15th century

Rhymes for postpone

See All Rhymes for postpone

Browse Nearby Words

postponable
postpone
postponement
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Postpone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postpone. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

postpone

verb
post·​pone pōs(t)-ˈpōn How to pronounce postpone (audio)
postponed; postponing
: to put off (as an action or event) until a later time
rain forced us to postpone the picnic
postponement
-mənt How to pronounce postpone (audio)
noun

Legal Definition

postpone

transitive verb
post·​pone
postponed; postponing
1
: to put off to a later time
2
: to place later in precedence, preference, or importance
specifically : to subordinate (a lien) to a later lien
postponable adjective
postponement noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All