1. to delay or postpone something until a later time
2. to yield respectfully to someone else’s wishes, opinion, or judgment
Usage: often followed by ‘to’

Examples

• The meeting was deferred until next week.
• She decided to defer her college enrollment for a year.
• The judge deferred sentencing pending further investigation.
• I defer to your expertise in this matter.
• He always defers to his manager’s decisions.
• The committee chose to defer the vote until more information was available.