postpone
B1Neutral to formal. Common in professional, academic, and everyday contexts. Less common in very casual speech where 'put off' is often used.
Definition
Meaning
To arrange for an event or action to take place at a later time than originally planned.
To delay or defer something, often due to practical reasons, circumstances, or a deliberate decision to prioritize other matters. It implies a temporary, rather than permanent, cancellation.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implies a deliberate, organized rescheduling. It is not typically used for involuntary delays (e.g., 'The train was postponed' sounds odd; 'delayed' is better). Often used with meetings, events, deadlines, and appointments.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage. Both use 'postpone' and the more informal 'put off'.
Connotations
Equally neutral in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in formal written contexts in both regions. The phrasal verb 'put off' is equally common in informal spoken language in both BrE and AmE.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
postpone + noun (direct object)postpone + noun + until/to + time expressionpostpone + gerundVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Kick the can down the road (informal, for postponing decisions)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
We must postpone the quarterly review until the new CFO starts.
Academic
The publication of the study has been postponed pending further peer review.
Everyday
Let's postpone the barbecue until the weather improves.
Technical
The software update was postponed to address a critical security vulnerability.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council decided to postpone the public enquiry.
- Shall we postpone making a final decision until next week?
American English
- The game has been postponed due to rain.
- We had to postpone our vacation because of work.
adverb
British English
- Not commonly used as an adverb. Use 'at a later date'.
American English
- Not commonly used as an adverb. Use 'later' or 'at a postponed time'.
adjective
British English
- The postponed match will now be played on Tuesday.
- We received a notice about the postponed train service.
American English
- A postponed meeting often creates scheduling conflicts.
- The postponed launch date was announced yesterday.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The football match is postponed.
- I will postpone my doctor's appointment.
- They had to postpone the wedding until next summer.
- Can we postpone the meeting until tomorrow?
- The committee voted to postpone implementing the new policy indefinitely.
- Constantly postponing difficult tasks only increases stress.
- The judge granted a motion to postpone the trial, citing the need for further evidence discovery.
- Strategic postponement of gratification is a hallmark of emotional maturity.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: POST (after) + PONE (from Latin 'ponere', to place). You place it AFTER the original time.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A RESOURCE ON A PATH. Postponing is moving a planned event further along the path into the future.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'cancel' ('отменить'). 'Postpone' is 'отложить' or 'перенести'. 'Cancel' is a complete stop.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'postpone' for short, unexpected delays (e.g., 'I postponed for 5 minutes' – use 'was delayed').
- Incorrect preposition: 'postpone on' or 'postpone at'. Correct: 'postpone until/to'.
- Using it as a noun: 'a postpone' is wrong; use 'a postponement'.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'postpone' INCORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 'Postpone' means to delay to a later time. 'Cancel' means to decide that something will not happen at all.
'Postpone' is more deliberate and formal, suggesting a planned rescheduling. 'Delay' is more general and can be used for both planned and unplanned holdups (e.g., traffic delays).
The correct noun is 'postponement' (e.g., 'the postponement of the event').
Yes, it is common and correct. E.g., 'They postponed signing the contract.'