defer meaning
defer :
to postpone, to delay
Verb
▪ They decided to defer the meeting until next week.
▪ They decided to delay the meeting until next week.
▪ She chose to defer her admission to university.
▪ She chose to postpone her admission to university.
paraphrasing
▪ postpone – delay
▪ delay – postpone
▪ put off – delay
▪ push back – postpone
Pronunciation
defer [dɪˈfɜːr]
The stress is on the second syllable 'fer' and sounds like 'di-fer'.
Common phrases and grammar about defer
defer - Common meaning
Verb
to postpone, to delay
Part of Speech Changes for "defer"
▪ deferral (noun) – the act of postponing something
▪ deferred (adjective) – delayed or postponed
Common Expressions with "defer"
▪ defer a decision – to postpone making a decision
▪ defer to authority – to postpone to a higher authority
▪ defer payment – to delay payment
▪ defer gratification – to delay satisfaction
Important examples of defer in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, defer is often used to indicate delaying actions or decisions.
Example of a confusing word: differ (to be different)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Defer is used as a verb to show postponement in grammar questions.
defer
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
defer the decision
means to postpone making a decision
put on hold
means to delay something temporarily
Differences between similar words and defer
defer
,
postpone
differences
defer means to delay something to a later time, while postpone specifically refers to rescheduling to a future time.
defer
,
delay
differences
defer means to postpone an action or decision, while delay refers to making something late or slower.
Words with the same origin as defer
The origin of defer
The word 'defer' comes from the Latin 'differre,' which means 'to carry apart' or 'to postpone.'
Word structure
It has the prefix 'de-' (down or away) and the root 'fer' (to carry), so defer means 'to carry away' or 'to postpone.'
Words with the same origin
The root of defer is 'fer' (to carry). Influential words with the same root include 'transfer' (to carry across), 'refer' (to carry back), and 'ferry' (a boat for carrying people or goods).
Please select an image in the quiz
Previous post and next post
