Word
postpone
Phoneticspost·pone, stress on the second syllable
US/poʊˈspoʊn/
UK/pəʊstpˈəʊn/
Definitions
01to delay an event
B1 · Intermediate
v. to change the time of something so that it happens later than planned.
v. to delay or put off a scheduled event, appointment, or action until a later time.
“The school decided to postpone the sports day because of the heavy rain.”
“The board of directors voted to postpone the annual general meeting until the independent audit was fully completed and verified.”
Antonyms
02to treat as less important
C2 · Proficiency Archaic
v. to put something in a lower position or treat it as less important than something else.
v. to place after in order of importance or to deem secondary to another consideration.
“In the old text, the author chose to postpone his own needs to those of the king.”
“The philosopher argued that one must never postpone the search for truth to the pursuit of material wealth.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “postpone” in context.
Verb
01. forced to postpone the event
“Due to the heavy storm, the organizers were forced to postpone the event.”
verb + infinitive
02. postpone the decision until next week
“We need more data, so we have decided to postpone the decision until next week.”
verb + noun + prep + adj + noun
03. postpone the trial for a month
“The judge agreed to postpone the trial for a month to allow the defense to review new evidence.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
Noun
04. decision to postpone the wedding
“Their decision to postpone the wedding was difficult but necessary given the travel restrictions.”
noun + infinitive
Adverb
05. indefinitely postpone the meeting
“The board decided to indefinitely postpone the meeting until the financial audit was complete.”
adv + verb + noun
06. inevitably postpone the launch
“Supply chain issues will inevitably postpone the launch of the new smartphone.”
adv + verb + noun
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 meeting
they postponed having the meeting
Postpone is followed by a gerund (-ing), not a to-infinitive.
Real-World Examples
“While NHS England said 95% of operations and appointments were due to go ahead, thousands have been postponed.” “It said 569 outpatient appointments had been postponed as well as 114 day cases.” Etymology
From Latin postpōnō (“I put after; I postpone”) from post (“after”) + pōnō (“I put; I place”), compare forestall.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/postpone