I defer to your judgement.
Source: tatoeba (257120)
Defer
/dɪˈfɜː/
Synonyms for "defer" (202 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (41)
Strong matches (60)
Noun(9 words)
Verb(22 words)
demurreddillydallydismiss a proposalembargoedfallowedgive inhesitatehesitateshold overkneelskneltkowtowedkowtowslallygaggedlollygaggedparkedpendedpostponedpostponesprocrastinate
Show 2 more words
Related words (101)
Verb(30 words)
proroguepuntedpussyfootput offput overrefrainedrelegateremitretardedset backshelveshelvedsidesteppedsnoozedstallstayedsubmitsuspendedsuspendstable
Show 10 more words
Noun(33 words)
Adjective(4 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: postpone, accede, accede, accede to, accommodate.
- Sentence evidence is available for defer, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "defer".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "defer"
Keep "defer" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "defer" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "defer", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "defer" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesMore specific
4 entriesCollocations
6 entriesdefer a decisiondefer a taskdefer judgmentdefer paymentdefer to authoritydefer until tomorrow
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
59 translations across 22 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἀναβάλλω verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Armenian
1 entries- տարկետել verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Bulgarian
2 entries- отлагам verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- отсрочвам verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 延緩 /延缓 verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Czech
4 entries- oddalovat verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- oddálit verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- odkládat verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- odložit verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Dutch
1 entries- uitstellen verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Finnish
2 entries- lykätä verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- myöhentää verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
French
3 entries- différer verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- remettre verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- reporter verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
German
4 entries- aufheben verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- aufschieben verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- aussetzen verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- den Vortritt lassen verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Hungarian
1 entries- elhalaszt verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Japanese
1 entries- 延期する verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Middle English
1 entries- differren verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Māori
2 entries- tinaku verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- whakatārewa verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- صالمق verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Polish
4 entries- odkładać verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- odraczać verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- odroczyć verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- odłożyć verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Portuguese
2 entries- adiar verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- pospor verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Russian
4 entries- откла́дывать verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- отложи́ть verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- отсро́чивать verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- отсро́чить verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- odgoditi verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- одгодити verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Spanish
1 entries- diferir verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Swedish
1 entries- skjuta upp verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Turkish
4 entries- bekletmek verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- geciktirmek verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- tehir etmek verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- yubatmak verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Ukrainian
4 entries- відкла́сти verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- відклада́ти verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- відстро́чити verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
- відстро́чувати verb ((transitive) to delay — see also delay, postpone, put off)
Sample sentences
17 total sentences available.
Suppose then that we defer the marriage till the autumn.
Source: tatoeba (6213246)
There's a sense in which doing good for our neighbor is really healthy, not just for our neighbor, but for ourselves as well, and we lose, in many ways, the training ground of how to be good citizens when we lose that or when we defer the problem to somebody else.
Source: tatoeba (9938036)
I could not defer my job to no one.
Source: tatoeba (10161904)
Showing 4 of 17 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "defer"?
Closest matches include postpone, accede, accede, accede to, accommodate.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "defer"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.