How to Use defer to in a Sentence

defer to

verb
  • Trae is signed on to defer to you.
    — Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 6 May 2026
  • There is a ghost in your board meetings, and everyone in the room defers to it.
    — Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Both twins deferred to coaches when talking about their playing time and roles.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Were his teammates deferring to him too much during the game?
    — Russell Lewis, NPR, 23 June 2026
  • My mother deferred to my father.
    — Jillian Sanders, Time, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Don’t worry; two weeks from now when the Moon is in your sign people will have to defer to you.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
  • But if it was planned work that can be deferred to a different day, so that work group doesn't have to be in those seats.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • Judges tend to defer to church authorities in many disputes.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Might justices not continue the trend of deferring to states on their own elections?
    — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Some will defer to the first person to message, while others just want to sell it to the buyer who can pick it up the soonest.
    — Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
  • Stop following her requirement to defer to her.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The first pitch of a game wouldn’t fall in that category, but Suzuki deferred to his hitter’s whims.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Hugh Gottschalk said that the court should defer to the discretion of the state and uphold the lawsuit's dismissal.
    — Rachel Smith, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Hoehn declined to comment on the recent listing, deferring to his brokers.
    — Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Some did not respond, and others deferred to the steering committee spokesperson.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
  • Could his insistence on deferring to Washington scare them off?
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Williams deferred to the contributions of the Oriskany’s crew back in 1952.
    — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Typically city managers would defer to their commission to perhaps take that role in a parade.
    — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2026
  • Motions to dismiss charges in the case paint some of the officers as rookies deferring to their superiors.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
  • When the body responsible for drawing the maps defers to another branch, the process is no longer independent.
    — Dan Daley, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
  • When the body responsible for drawing the maps defers to another branch, the process is no longer independent.
    — Dan Daley, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Judges have long deferred to the agency’s judgments on the safety and appropriate regulation of drugs.
    — Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
  • Outfitted with wood and marble, the interior design's coffee and sand tones defer to the vivid greens and brilliant blues outside.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • Crosby, a center his entire life, defers to Celebrini and plays on the left wing for Team Canada.
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • White House spokesperson Kush Desai did not answer the question and deferred to the health department.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026
  • The trio trade verses and backing vocals while Puth defers to his heroes for their keyboards and guitar, respectively.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Johnson deferred to the members of the House to determine whether the congresswoman should be expelled from the House.
    — Lauren Peller, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Instead of ripping Spoelstra, as Russo did, he should be commended for deferring to his star’s wishes to stay in the game.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Major trade ideas are presented to the Arisons, who have generally deferred to Riley’s wishes.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
  • But the date is now set to pass with no action from GOP lawmakers who continue to defer to the White House.
    — ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defer to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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