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Webster 1913 Edition
Defer
De-fer′
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Deferred
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Deferring
.] [OE.
differren
, F. différer
, fr. L. differre
to delay, bear different ways; dis-
+ ferre
to bear. See Bear
to support, and cf. Differ
, Defer
to offer.] To put off; to postpone to a future time; to delay the execution of; to delay; to withhold.
Defer
the spoil of the city until night. Shakespeare
God . . . will not long
To vindicate the glory of his name.
defer
To vindicate the glory of his name.
Milton.
De-fer′
,Verb.
I.
To put off; to delay to act; to wait.
Pius was able to
defer
and temporize at leisure. J. A. Symonds.
De-fer′
,Verb.
T.
1.
To render or offer.
[Obs.]
Worship
deferred
to the Virgin. Brevint.
2.
To lay before; to submit in a respectful manner; to refer; – with to.
Hereupon the commissioners . . .
deferred
the matter to the Earl of Northumberland. Bacon.
De-fer′
,Verb.
I.
To yield deference to the wishes of another; to submit to the opinion of another, or to authority; – with to.
The house,
deferring
to legal right, acquiesced. Bancroft.
Webster 1828 Edition
Defer
DEFER
,Verb.
T.
1.
To delay; to put off; to postpone to a future time; as, to defer the execution of a design.When thou vowest a vow, defer not to pay it. Eccles. 5.
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. Prov. 13.
2.
To refer; to leave to anothers judgment and determination.[In this sense, refer is now used.]
Definition 2025
defer
defer
English
Verb
defer (third-person singular simple present defers, present participle deferring, simple past and past participle deferred)
- (transitive) To delay or postpone; especially to postpone induction into military service.
- Shakespeare
- Defer the spoil of the city until night.
- Shakespeare
- (American football) 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).
- (intransitive) To delay, to wait.
- Milton
- God […] will not long defer / To vindicate the glory of his name.
- Milton
Related terms
Derived terms
Translations
(transitive) to delay
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(intransitive) to delay
Etymology 2
- From Middle French deferer, from Latin deferre
Verb
defer (third-person singular simple present defers, present participle deferring, simple past and past participle deferred)
- (law) To submit to the opinion or desire of another in respect to their judgment or authority.
- Francis Bacon
- Hereupon the commissioners […] deferred the matter to the Earl of Northumberland.
- 1899, Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, section 2
- "Well, I must defer to your judgment. You are captain," he said with marked civility.
- Francis Bacon
- To render, to offer.
- Brevint
- worship deferred to the Virgin
- Brevint
Derived terms
Translations
to submit to the opinion or desire of another