ENGLISH
REFERENCE

postpone

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //poʊˈspoʊn// UK //pəʊstpˈəʊn// post·pone Archaic

v. to change a planned event to a later time or date. You do this when you cannot finish something now and decide to do it in the future instead.

v. to delay an event or action until a later time. Transitive; requires a direct object which can be a noun phrase or a gerund.


SIMPLE

We had to postpone the meeting until next Tuesday.

CONTEXTUAL

The organizers decided to postpone the outdoor concert because the weather forecast predicted heavy rain all weekend.

COMPLEX

While the board agreed to postpone the final vote, they emphasized that a decision must be reached before the end of the fiscal year to satisfy investors.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin postpōnō (“I put after; I postpone”) from post (“after”) + pōnō (“I put; I place”), compare forestall.

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; when followed by another action, use the -ing form rather than the infinitive.

Pitfall

they postponed to have the meetingthey postponed having the meetingPostpone is followed by a gerund (-ing), not a to-infinitive.

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