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postpone Definition

post·pone (pōst pōn′)

transitive verb -·poned′, -·pon′·ing

  1. to put off until later; defer; delay
  2. to put at or near the end of the sentence the German verb is postponed
  3. Rare to subordinate

Etymology: L postponere < post-, post- + ponere, to put: see position

postpone Related Forms
post·pon′·able adjective post·pone′·ment noun post·pon′er noun
postpone Synonyms

postpone

v.

defer, put off, delay, take a rain check; see delay 1, suspend 2. See syn. study at suspend.

postpone Usage Examples

Object

  • agm: The Executive Committee may postpone the AGM if it would conflict with a Parliamentary Election in the Constituency, or for other urgent reason.
  • referendum: The decision to postpone the referendum on the euro will also mean that the Convention gets an absolutely clear run in the next year.
  • hearing: The complaint, which invites Ms Gibb to postpone the hearings, demanded a response by noon tomorrow ( Friday ).
  • election: There were no plans to postpone the local elections on May 3. He could not be clearer than that.
  • onset: By enriching the lives of older people out service may help prevent or postpone the onset of debilitating conditions which entail greater dependency.
  • fixture: Having assessed the pitch, referee Ray Oliver had no hesitation in postponing the fixture.

Noun phrase with adjective complement

  • due: What was odd was the second announcement that they'd postponed the episode due to developments from *that day* .

Adjective complement

  • due: Use of Web Site - postponed due to lack of time.

Modifying Another Word

  • indefinitely: No doubt Fergie is praying that the next Derby game with us ends up indefinitely postponed.
  • temporarily: Progress in the Parliament on Takeover Bids has been temporarily postponed to allow the Council of Ministers to reach an acceptable compromise.
  • due: The camp regatta is postponed due to lack of wind.
  • twice: Attempts were made to hold this meeting and arrangements were made twice and postponed twice and we finally met in February 2005.
  • repeatedly: The completion of the work has been repeatedly postponed.
  • again: The court again postponed acting, giving the state more time to reply to the claims.

Used with why or when

  • when: A number of dates were postponed when a lighting grid collapsed at the weekend.

Infinitive complement

  • allow: Progress in the Parliament on Takeover Bids has been temporarily postponed to allow the Council of Ministers to reach an acceptable compromise.

Present participle complement

  • pend: In the event the meeting was postponed pending clarification of the Council's budget cuts.

Preposition: until

  • autumn: The charges were due to be introduced by April 2006 and these could now be postponed until the autumn of 2006.
  • notice: Therefore, the work scheduled for next weekend Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th January has been postponed until further notice.

Preposition: for

  • while: I was excited when I got the part, but then it was postponed for a while and anyway I was pregnant just then.
postpone Quotes

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms, Strong and content I travel the open road.

—Whitman,Walt(er)