postpone
pohst-POHN
/poʊstˈpoʊn/
To arrange for something to take place at a time later than that first scheduled.
A neutral, often logistical decision to move an event to a later date.
The story behind the word. Coming from the Latin 'post' (after) and 'ponere' (to put), this word literally means to 'put after.' It entered English in the late 15th century as a straightforward way to describe moving an event further down the timeline.
Word relationships
- delay: Delay is more general and can be accidental; postpone is usually a deliberate rescheduling.
- reschedule: Reschedule implies a new date has been set; postpone just means it's not happening now.
- advance: To move something to an earlier time.
- expedite: To speed up the progress of something.
Commonly confused with
- procrastinate: Postpone is a logistical choice; procrastinate is a psychological struggle with starting a task.
Word family
- postponement (noun): The action of postponing something.
Collocations
- postpone a meeting
- postpone indefinitely
- postpone until further notice
Example sentences
- "The match was postponed until tomorrow due to a waterlogged pitch." News report on a sporting event.
- "We had to postpone the product launch because the prototypes were not ready." Business communication.
Memory hook
Think of a 'post' (like a fence post) being moved 'later' down the road. Put it off to a later POST.
When not to use
Avoid using this when the delay is due to laziness; use 'procrastinate' instead.
Fun facts
- In the 16th century, 'postpone' could also mean to value something less than something else, literally putting it 'behind' in importance.
Explore more words
procrastinate, reprieve, suspension, dilatory, forestall, take place
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