ENGLISH
REFERENCE

deferred

adj. · v. · n.
US //dɪˈfɝd// UK //dɪfˈɜːd// de·ferred
  1. 1 delayed or postponed (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    delayed or put off until a later time.

    postponed or delayed until a future time; often used in professional contexts regarding projects or decisions.

    Example

    The committee reached a deferred decision after they realised they needed more information.

    Example

    The board issued a deferred response to the merger proposal, citing the need for a more comprehensive audit of the competitor's assets.
  2. 2 finance and accounting (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Law

    describes money, taxes, or payments that are recorded now but handled at a future date.

    pertaining to an asset or liability whose value or payment is not realised until a future period.

    Example

    The company has a deferred tax liability that they must pay next year.

    Example

    By opting for a deferred annuity, the investor ensured a steady stream of income that would only commence upon their retirement.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the phrases 'deferred tax' or 'deferred payment'.
Show 3 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 past action of delaying (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the past tense of 'defer', meaning you moved something to a later date.

    the past tense and past participle of the transitive verb 'defer', indicating the act of postponement.

    Example

    They deferred the start of the project until the new manager arrived.

    Example

    The department deferred the implementation of the new software until all staff members had completed the mandatory training modules.
  2. 4 yielded to another (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    the past tense of 'defer', meaning you let someone else decide because you respect them.

    the past tense of the intransitive verb 'defer', meaning to submit to another's wishes or authority out of respect.

    Example

    He deferred to his older sister when it came to choosing a gift for their parents.

    Example

    The junior researchers deferred to the lead scientist's expertise when interpreting the unexpected results of the clinical trial.

    Usage

    Usually followed by the preposition 'to'.
  3. 5 programming object (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    a tool in computer programming that represents a result that is not ready yet.

    an object used in asynchronous programming to manage a result that will be available in the future.

    Example

    The function returns a deferred so the program can keep running while the data loads.

    Example

    The developer utilised a deferred object to handle the multiple asynchronous requests, ensuring the interface remained responsive during the data fetch.

© 2026 English Reference