What does postpone mean?
Postpone is a formal and widely used verb meaning to delay something until a later time or to put off an action. It is used for events such as meetings, flights, decisions, journeys, and plans, as in “postpone the meeting” or “postpone the flight.” The word can suggest a deliberate deferral, but it may also describe circumstances that force a delay, such as bad weather. Postponing can be temporary, with a new time named, or indefinite, as in “postpone plans indefinitely.” Its standard past tense is postponed, its -ing form is postponing, and the related noun is postponement. Although postpone is used in both British and American English, related forms such as preponed, meaning “brought forward,” are much less common in modern usage.
verbTo delay something until a later time or date. It can also mean to put off an action or decision.
- To delay an event, action, or decision until a later time.
- To defer doing something until a more suitable or convenient time.
"The committee decided to postpone the vote until the following week."
"The flight was postponed because of severe weather."
"She postponed the trip until she had finished her exams."
Postpone comes from the Latin words post, meaning “after,” and ponere, meaning “to place” — literally, to place something after another time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does postpone come from?
Postpone comes from the Latin postponere, formed from post, meaning “after,” and ponere, meaning “to place” or “to put.” The original sense was therefore “to place after,” which developed into the modern meaning “to delay until later.” The word entered English in the early 16th century and is related to other Latin-derived words involving ponere, including component, deposit, expose, and oppose.
Related word forms
How postpone is actually used
Postpone is formal but widely used in everyday English. It is commonly followed by a noun, an infinitive, or a gerund, as in “postpone the meeting,” “postpone leaving,” and “postpone making a decision.” It can imply that the event will occur later, although it does not always state when.
Easily confused with postpone
Prepone means to bring something forward to an earlier time, whereas postpone means to delay it until later.