English Reference
Noun

postponement

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US /poʊˈspoʊnmənt/ UK /pəʊstpˈəʊnmənt/ post·pone·ment UK spelling postponements

n.the act of moving a planned event to a later time or date.

n.the action of rescheduling an event or action to occur at a later time than originally intended.


SIMPLE

The rain caused a postponement of the match.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee requested a postponement of the vote until all members could review the new evidence.

COMPLEX

The repeated postponement of the infrastructure project has led to significant budget overruns and growing frustration among the local residents who rely on the current bridge.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the general act of delaying; countable when referring to a specific instance of a delay.

Currently, a general election is scheduled for December of this year, after multiple postponements.

Al Jazeera· 29 Aug 2026

Negotiators on both sides, however, have sought to stop Trump’s latest round of tariffs from taking effect, achieving a postponement from a previous deadline on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera· 22 Aug 2026

From postpone + -ment.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated