defer1

[dih-fur] /dɪˈfɜr/
verb (used with object), deferred, deferring.
1.
to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time:
The decision has been deferred by the board until next week.
2.
to exempt temporarily from induction into military service.
verb (used without object), deferred, deferring.
3.
to put off action; delay.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English deferren, variant of differren to differ
Related forms
deferrer, noun
Synonyms
1. Defer, delay, postpone imply keeping something from occurring until a future time. To defer is to decide to do something later on: to defer making a payment. To delay is sometimes equivalent to defer, but usually it is to act in a dilatory manner and thus lay something aside: to delay one's departure. To postpone a thing is to put it off to (usually) some particular time in the future, with the intention of beginning or resuming it then: to postpone an election. 3. procrastinate.

defer2

[dih-fur] /dɪˈfɜr/
verb (used without object), deferred, deferring.
1.
to yield respectfully in judgment or opinion (usually followed by to):
We all defer to him in these matters.
verb (used with object), deferred, deferring.
2.
to submit for decision; refer:
We defer questions of this kind to the president.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English deferren < Latin dēferre to carry from or down, report, accuse, equivalent to dē- de- + ferre to bear1
Synonyms
1. accede, submit, acquiesce, capitulate.
Examples from the web for defer
  • Experts generally recommend that you defer taxes as long as possible.
  • Forming my own opinions about what war feels like, I don't have to defer to him anymore.
  • We also defer to the trappings of authority.
  • This she did often; invariably Herb would stop talking and defer to her as soon as she began to chime in.
  • Variable annuities are tax-deferred retirement plans.
  • Buyers know most things will only get cheaper, so they defer purchases.
  • If you lose your job you can defer the student loan payments.
  • Jesse has been accepted to two local colleges and hopes to play baseball, but will defer admission.
  • University students question more and defer less.
  • We shall also defer our attempt at reduction.
British Dictionary definitions for defer

defer1

/dɪˈfɜː/
verb -fers, -ferring, -ferred
1.
(transitive) to delay or cause to be delayed until a future time; postpone
Derived Forms
deferrable, deferable, adjective
deferrer, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Old French differer to be different, postpone; see differ

defer2

/dɪˈfɜː/
verb -fers, -ferring, -ferred
1.
(intransitive) foll by to. to yield (to) or comply (with) the wishes or judgments of another: I defer to your superior knowledge
Word Origin
C15: from Latin dēferre, literally: to bear down, from de- + ferre to bear
Word Origin and History for defer
v.

"to delay," late 14c., differren, deferren, from Old French differer (14c.), from Latin differre "carry apart, scatter, disperse;" also "be different, differ;" also "defer, put off, postpone," (see differ). Etymologically identical with differ; the spelling and pronunciation differentiated from 15c., perhaps partly by association of this word with delay.

"yield," mid-15c., from Middle French déférer (14c.) "to yield, comply," from Latin deferre "carry away, transfer, grant," from de- "down, away" (see de-) + ferre "carry" (see infer). Main modern sense is from meaning "refer (a matter) to someone," which also was in Latin.