Postponed vs. delayed: what’s the difference?
The short answer
Postponed usually means something is rescheduled to a specific later time, while delayed means something is held up, slowed, or occurs later than expected but may not specify a new time.
What they have in common
Both postponed and delayed refer to something that happens later than originally planned.
Examples
postponed
- The meeting was postponed until next Friday.
- Because of the storm, the game was postponed to a later date.
delayed
- The train was delayed due to mechanical problems.
- Her flight was delayed by two hours because of bad weather.
Which one is more common?
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