词汇精选：postpone的用法和辨析

一、详细释义：

v.

使延期；延迟；迟缓 [I,T]

例句：

Could we postpone our meeting to sometime early next week?

我们能否将约会推迟到下星期的头几天？

例句：

Let's postpone making a decision until we have more information.

咱们在获取更多情况之后再做决定不迟。

【语】把…放在后面（或句尾） [T]

例句：

Everyone should postpone private gain to the public welfare.

我们应该把个人利益置于公众福利之后。

（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） [I]

二、词义辨析：

delay,postpone,defer,suspend,prolong,put off

这些动词或短语动词均有“推延，延期”之意。delay普通用词，多指因外界原因推迟或耽误，也可指有意推迟。postpone正式用词，语气较强，多指有安排的延期，常指明延期到一定的时间。 defer正式用词，语气强于postpone，多指故意拖延。suspend指暂时中断以待某种条件的实现。prolong指把时间延长至超过正常或通常的限度。put off口语用词，与postpone同义，但较通俗。

三、参考例句：

I think we should postpone the outing.

我认为我们应该推迟这次郊游。

Can we postpone the meeting till tomorrow?

我们可以把会议延期到明天吗?

It won' t hurt to postpone the meeting.

不妨把开会时间往後延。

The weather being bad, we had to postpone our trip.

因为天气不好，我们不得不延期出行。

Everyone should postpone private gain to the public welfare.

我们应该把个人利益置于公众福利之后。

I no longer want to postpone anything in life.

我不想再把任何事延后。

We have to postpone sending our answer to the request.

我们不得不暂缓寄出对申请书的答复。

Could we postpone our meeting to sometime early next week?

我们能否将约会推迟到下星期的头几天？

He decided to postpone the expedition until the following day.

他决定把探险推迟到第二天。

They will postpone their program if it rains.

如果下雨，他们就会延期项目。