Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use postpone in a sentence

33 example sentences · verb

Postpone means to delay or put off an event, appointment, etc. Example: “The trip was postponed because the meteorological conditions were so bad.”

Examples of postpone by meaning

verbTo delay or put off an event, appointment, etc.

  • Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
  • Significant rail projects have been mothballed before in the face of changed circumstances – in particular, the LNER Woodhead project which was postponed due to wartime conditions and not revived until 1948, as money became available after nationalisation.2020 December 2, Industry Insider, “The costs on cutting carbon”, in Rail, page 76

More sentences with postpone

  • The trip was postponed because the meteorological conditions were so bad.From the entry meteorological
  • As this trial has now been postponed multiple times, there will be an adjournment to April 24, peremptory on the parties.From the entry peremptory
  • They’ve been indefinitely postponed, the singer announced in a Twitter video Thursday.2022 January 25, Linda Hasco, “Adele’s postponed Las Vegas residency: She’s apologized, but do we really know what’s behind it?”, in…. From the entry daydreamer
  • Preformation, as even Aristotle spotted, merely postpones the problem, for how did the homunculus get its shape?1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 174. From the entry preformation
  • Why did Seneca decide to postpone his own Phaedra’s suicide until after Hippolytus' death?1993, Albert S. Gérard, The Phaedra Syndrome: Of Shame and Guilt in Drama, page 20. From the entry Phaedra
  • "What you're really talking about is the concept of postponed gratification," Dr.1983 August 14, Harvey D. Shapiro, “Personal Finance: Summer Jobs—A Lesson in Economics I”, in New York Times, retrieved 22 Jul 2015. From the entry reality principle
  • The half-term trip to Nethercombe had to be postponed because of her funeral and John felt a new guilt.2012, Marcia Willett, The Courtyard, Hachette UK, →ISBN. From the entry half-term
  • Feuer asked to postpone the postcarding because of the rain.2009 June 7, Emily Bazelon, “The Self-Employed Depression”, in New York Times. From the entry postcarding
  • So they postpone their repayment and misutilise the money.2004, Rabīndra Nārāẏaṇa Miśra, D. Tata Rao, Rural Artisans in India, page 168. From the entry misutilise
  • However, the next day dawned ominously with an overcast sky and we postponed our start till 8 o'clock.1999, Harish Kapadia, “Accident and Rescue in the Nanda Devi Sanctuary”, in Across Peaks & Passes in Kumaun Himalaya, New Delhi: Indus…. From the entry ominously
  • The age that began with one xenocide attempted had now ended with other xenocides prevented or, at least, postponed.1996, Orson Scott Card, Children of the Mind. From the entry xenocide
  • Note: If the dogs have to be wormed, it is wise to postpone any defleaing efforts for three weeks after worming.1986, Pure-bred Dogs American Kennel Gazette, volume 103, page 95. From the entry deflea
  • In anticipation of Dr Hassiem's release the inquest of Mr Ngubene's death, originally scheduled for 13 April, was postponed sine die.1979, André Brink, A Dry White Season, Vintage, published 1998, page 105. From the entry sine die
  • Some years ago, powers to instal escalators were obtained, but the second world war caused the work to be postponed.1958 August, T. S. Lascelles, “Diamond Jubilee of the Waterloo & City Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 519. From the entry instal
  • NR claims that its renewal has been "postponed time and time again" over the last ten to 20 years and is now inevitable.2023 May 31, Philip Haigh, “Network News: Crewe-Carlisle marked urgent to meet HS2 demands”, in RAIL, number 984, page 8. From the entry time and time again
  • Unfortunately, the concert this evening has been postponed," said the employee. ¶ "This is my thirteenth reason," a fan shouted in the crowd.2023 August 29, Brooke Houghton, quoting an anonymous fan, “Drake's Vancouver Show Was Cancelled At The Last Minute & Here's What Went…. From the entry thirteenth reason
  • He postponed a decision in November, a move widely viewed as a means of avoiding a political landmine in the run-up to the election.2020 January 24, Rajeev Syal, Gwyn Topham, “HS2 late and billions over budget due to Tory failures, report finds”, in The Guardian. From the entry land mine
  • It is unclear whether or not a purchaser upon exchange of contracts will be regarded as guilty of postponing conduct if failing to caveat.2005, Geoffrey Moore, “Torrens Title: Priorities between Unregistered Interests”, in David Barker, editor, Essential Real Property…. From the entry caveat
  • I was tempted to penelopize, to go back to the beginning and start again in order to postpone the moment of discussion.2003, Roger Green, Hydra and the Bananas of Leonard Cohen, →ISBN, page 193. From the entry penelopize
  • Following a breakaway of the test train near Huntingdon during final trials, the start of the London-Newcastle-Edinburgh "Roadrailer" service scheduled for August 19 was postponed.1963 September, Modern Railways, page 146. From the entry breakaway
  • For 28 footling days the 58-nation General Assembly had been debating the now-famous U.S. afterthought: to postpone partition and substitute a U.N. trusteeship for Palestine.1948 May 24, “United Nations: Over to You”, in Time, retrieved 14 Oct 2013. From the entry footling
  • Slogans remind us, Logan Pearsall Smith’s Unforgotten Years has been postponed until the New Year: but you can put in the time reading Mr.1938, Saturday Review of Literature, volume 19, page 21, column 2. From the entry librovore
  • The path from the Luangwa is quite bicyclable, and I did not think he would postpone his departure into the heat of the day.1924, Frank Savile, The High Grass Trail: Being the Difficulties and Diversions of Two Trekking and Shooting for Sustenance in Dense Bush…. From the entry bicyclable
  • After days of rain and mud, blocked exits and postponed parties, the last of Burning Man’s crowds trudged out of the Nevada desert on Wednesday morning.2023 September 6, Finn-Olaf Jones, Jack Healy, “Burning Man’s Muddy Aftermath: A Desert Full of ‘Moop’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN. From the entry moop
  • Eustatius are protesting the change in date because the government of the Dominican Republic has not given an explanation for its decision to postpone the election.2020 February 28, “Dominicanos wear sombre colours in protest of election postponement”, in The Daily Herald, The Caribbean Herald N.V.…. From the entry Dominicano
  • There’s a weaselly feel to the plan, a sense that tough decisions were postponed even as President Obama warns about our “perfect storm of financial problems.”2009 February 11, Maureen Dowd, “Trillion Dollar Baby”, in New York Times. From the entry weaselly
  • But some perverse streak inside me (possibly, now that I think about it, an anti-antimeme meme) made me keep postponing my appointment until it was just too late.1998, Christine Beckert, David Bischoff, Carroll Brown, et al., The Best of Pirate Writings: Tales of Fantasy, Mystery & Science Fiction…. From the entry antimeme
  • The logical inconsistency of "begrieving" a shameful condition, while postponing its abolition is the fundamental fault Baldwin finds with Faulkner's racial politics and white southern liberalism generally.1989, Cedric Gael Bryant, Race, Gender, and Metaphor in Five Major Novels by William Faulkner. From the entry begrieve
  • Amusingly written letter about postponing a wedding ceremony at which the Dean was to officiate, discussing arrangements and referring to "toys & trinkets and bridalities of all sorts."1958, Walter Romeyn Benjamin, The Collector, page 22. From the entry bridalty
  • Gently again, he raised his hand to tap on the smooth white panels of the coaster’s door, but once more his interview with Ruby Braunfeld was postponed.1933, [Francis] Van Wyck Mason, The Shanghai Bund Murders, New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC, page 51. From the entry coaster
  • When the goal is to provide postural support, slow progression, or postpone (but not prevent) surgery, a polypropylene body jacket, or “clam-shell brace,” may suffice for waking or sitting hours.2000, chapter 11, in Harry B. Skinner, editor, Diagnosis and Treatment in Orthopedics, 2nd edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, page 562. From the entry body jacket

Meaning of postpone

  1. verb To delay or put off an event, appointment, etc.
  2. verb To place after in order; to deem less important.

Full definition of postpone

Questions about postpone in a sentence

How do you use postpone in a sentence?
Postpone is used as a verb. For example: “The trip was postponed because the meteorological conditions were so bad.”
What is a short sentence with postpone?
“So they postpone their repayment and misutilise the money.”
What does postpone mean?
Postpone means to delay or put off an event, appointment, etc.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: postpone (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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