Added 9 October 2026
defer
/dɪˈfɜː/ verb
Latin root: differō Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about defer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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To delay or postpone.
We're going to defer the decision until we have all the facts.
- 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).
verb
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)