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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?

Internet search results for “postponed” and “delayed”

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