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de·fer¹

(dĭ-fûr)

intr.v. de·ferred, de·fer·ring, de·fers

1. To put off; postpone.

2. To postpone the induction of (one eligible for the military draft).

[Middle English differren, to postpone, differ; see DIFFER.]

de·ferra·ble adj.

de·ferrer n.

Synonyms: defer¹, postpone, shelve, suspend
These verbs mean to put off until a later time: deferred paying the bills; postponing our trip; shelved the issue; suspending train service.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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