Deferred meaning: when something is moved to later

Deferred meaning in plain words

A short deferred definition: held back now so it can happen or be paid later. The key idea is that the thing still exists. A deferred bonus will be paid; a deferred decision will be made. That is the difference from cancelled or rejected.

Spelling tip: the r doubles because defer is spoken di-FUR, loud on its ending, giving deferred, deferring and deferral. The noun forms are deferral (common in business) and deferment (often used for loans and military service).

Deferred in money and accounts

• Deferred payment. You get the goods or service now and pay later, sometimes in instalments.
• Deferred revenue. Money a business has received for work it has not yet delivered, such as a yearly subscription paid upfront. Accountants record it as a liability until the service is provided, then move it into revenue.
• Deferred tax. Tax that relates to the current period but will be paid or recovered in a later one, because accounting rules and tax rules count timing differently.
• Deferred compensation. Part of an employee's pay set aside to be paid in the future, often at retirement.
• Deferred annuity. An annuity that starts paying out only after a waiting period.

Deferred sentence meaning

In criminal courts, notably in many US states, a deferred sentence means the judge accepts a guilty plea or finding but delays deciding the punishment. The person is usually given conditions to meet for a set period, such as staying out of trouble, attending classes or paying restitution. If they comply, the court may impose a lighter outcome or, in some places, allow the plea to be withdrawn and the case dismissed. If they break the conditions, the judge can impose the sentence that was originally possible.

Close relatives of the idea include deferred judgment or deferred adjudication, where even the formal finding of guilt is postponed, and a deferred prosecution agreement, where charges are held back while conditions are met. The exact terms and effects on a record vary a lot between states and countries.

Deferred in college admissions

When a US college says an early applicant has been deferred, it has neither accepted nor rejected them. The application moves to the regular round and will be reviewed again with the larger pool. Students can usually send updated grades or a short letter of continued interest.

A different use is deferring admission: a student who has been accepted asks to start a year later, for example to work or travel. The place is held, not lost.

Example sentences

• The bank agreed to a deferred payment plan after her surgery.
• Because of the storm, the board meeting was deferred until next Thursday.
• He was deferred from early admission, so he spent December polishing his regular applications.
• The software firm's balance sheet shows a large amount of deferred revenue from annual plans.
• She took a deferred place at university and spent the gap year teaching in her hometown.

Defer to: the other meaning

Do not confuse deferred until with deferred to. To defer to someone means to accept their judgment or give way out of respect: On medical questions, the coach deferred to the team doctor. This sense is linked to the noun deference. The two verbs looked alike by accident of history: the postponing sense goes back to Latin differre (carry apart), while the yielding sense comes from Latin deferre (carry down or hand over). So deferred can mean postponed or yielded, and the following word, until or to, usually tells you which.

Close words and opposites

More terms from offices, banks and contracts are listed under business and money; see also tentative for plans that are not yet fixed.