Postpone: Definition, Usage & Sentence Examples

Meaning 1：delay to a later time (postpone)

postpone 🔊

/pəʊstˈpəʊn/

To decide that something will happen at a later time than you originally planned.

Illustration of postponing an event: a hand rescheduling a calendar from Friday to Monday.

delay to a later time 🔊

➕

/dɪˈleɪ tuː ə ˈleɪtə taɪm/

To reschedule an event or action for a future date.

📁 Category：Time & Dates 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'post-' meaning 'after' and 'ponere' meaning 'to place'.

💡 Mnemonic

POST (after) + PONE (place) = to place after in time.

📖 Example

My dentist appointment was postponed because the doctor had a family emergency. 🔊 The dental visit was delayed due to the doctor's personal emergency.

🔗 Collocations

postpone a meeting – to delay a scheduled gathering

postpone a decision – to put off making a choice

postpone indefinitely – to delay without setting a new date

🔄 Synonyms

delay (v.) – to cause something to happen at a later time

defer (v.) – to postpone or put off to a future time

put off (v.) – to delay or postpone something

🚫 Antonyms

advance (v.) – to move something to an earlier time

expedite (v.) – to speed up the process of something

bring forward (v.) – to move an event to an earlier date

🌱 Derivatives

postponement (n.) – the act of delaying something to a later time

postponable (adj.) – capable of being delayed

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Latin 'postponere', first used in English in the 15th century to mean 'to put off to a later time'.