postponement
the act of putting something off to a later time; deferral: Taking your sick or injured pet to the veterinarian should be prompt, as any postponement can lead to ongoing medical issues.
the act of placing a thing below something else in importance or after something else in sequence (now used most often in grammar): Historically, inheritance laws tended toward a postponement of the claims of female kin to those of male kin.In English, the end position in a sentence is normally reserved for the key point, so postponement of an element is a way of emphasizing it.
Origin of postponement
1Other words from postponement
- non·post·pone·ment, noun
- self-post·pone·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use postponement in a sentence
A swath of regular military allies have sought postponements or rejected the idea of firing missiles toward Damascus.
Then came a series of last-minute postponements, indicating that settlement talks had reached an advanced stage.
It was a spell he shrank intensely from breaking and the cause of a hundred postponements, confusions, and absurdities.
The Tragic Muse | Henry JamesDuring the two years of his secretaryship the young man had learned the significance of such postponements.
Tales Of Men And Ghosts | Edith WhartonWhat do you really wish to do, now that there is no uncertainty calling for postponements?'
New Grub Street | George Gissing
They played against each a series of perpetual evasions, postponements, and cross-purposes.
Curiosities of Christian History | Croake JamesThe repeated postponements, though very trying to the mens nerves, proved in reality a blessing.
The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918 | Frederick William Bewsher
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