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Business English vocabulary · Deadlines and Scheduling

Postpone

Meaning in business english, with examples

/poʊstˈpoʊn/verbCore term

In business english, postpone means: To move a meeting, event or decision to a later time than the one originally planned.

In Turkish: ertelemek, ileri bir tarihe bırakmak

How it is used

Slightly formal; common in announcements and emails. You postpone something until or to a later date, or by a period of time. Informal alternatives are 'put off' and 'push back'. With no new date: 'postponed until further notice'.

Example sentences

  1. The product launch has been postponed until September.

  2. We had to postpone the meeting because the finance director was ill.

Common collocations

  • postpone a meeting
  • postpone a decision
  • postponed by a week
  • postponed until further notice
  • rescheduleTo change the date or time of a meeting, call or event that was already planned.
  • push backTo move a planned date or time to later; also, to resist or argue against a request, plan or decision.
  • bring forwardTo move a meeting, event or deadline to an earlier date or time than originally planned.
  • deadlineThe latest date or time by which a piece of work must be finished, sent or delivered.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Deadlines and Scheduling

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