defer
part of speech
verb (defer, defers, deferred, deferring)
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) To put off something until later; to delay: the meeting was deferred until next week. tree →
2) (formal) Defer to: to accept someone else's opinion or decision because you respect them or they know more: I defer to your experience. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Here it means to delay. In Proverbs and Isaiah it also means to put off, as hope put off or anger held back. Interpretation: Tradition reads Ecclesiastes as teaching that a vow to God must be paid quickly. Isaiah's God holding back anger is read as His patience and mercy. In the primary lessons: A formal word of letters, school notices and exam language. In everyday talk people say "put off" or "postpone". Phrases: defer to, deferred payment, defer a decision.
examples
- And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. (Torah GEN.34.19, JPS 1917) tree →
- Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (Writings PRO.13.12, JPS 1917) tree →
- When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou vowest. (Writings ECC.5.3, JPS 1917) tree →
- For My name's sake will I defer Mine anger, and for My praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. (Prophets ISA.48.9, JPS 1917) tree →
- (formal) The trip has been deferred because of the snow. tree →
- The decision was deferred until all the parents had replied. tree →
- On matters of football, I defer to my brother. tree →
- (formal) Payment may be deferred until the end of the month. tree →
- She deferred her university place for a year. tree →
- (formal) Subsequently, the match was deferred to the following Saturday. tree →
- As the hunchback was one of the Sultan's private jesters, the chief of police resolved to defer sentence of death until he had consulted his master. tree →
note
Double r in the past: deferred, deferring. Stress on the second syllable: de-FER. Nouns: deferral (delay), deference (respect). Same as "postpone" in the first meaning.
In the corpora
- And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter.
- Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
- "Deferred success" is a joking UK phrase for failure.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «defer» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.