To differ is also to distinguish oneself from a group.
To defer is to delay or postpone something . This is just one of the meanings that the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) mentions in its dictionary for this verb, which comes from the Latin word differre .
Distinguish yourself
Differing can refer to disagreeing with an opinion or to differentiating or distinguishing oneself from the rest of the individuals in his group: “The player once again differed with the technical director by stating that the team is not prepared to compete at altitude,” “Several experts clarified that the statistics presented by the different organizations may differ due to methodological issues,” “In my opinion, what makes this beer different from the rest is its creaminess.”
The first example sentence presents us with the meaning of "dissent", expressing an opinion different from that of our interlocutor. The second, on the other hand, talks about "differentiating": statistics can give different results if they are not carried out with the same method. The meaning of the verb in the third sentence is to " distinguish " or "stand out."
Suppose a journalist publishes a book with his investigation into a terrorist attack. Two years later, he presents an updated version , with data that he managed to gather after the original publication. This information makes the two editions differ: the content of both is not exactly the same, but there are differences due to the additions provided by the author of the work in question.
Postpone or delay
To defer a commitment or an event is to delay the date on which it will take place. This verb can be used in a large number of situations, in different areas, to talk about postponements that can also have consequences of very varying severity. In some cases, the act of deferring is due to unavoidable reasons, while in others it is an arbitrary decision.
Let's look at three example sentences with the verb defer in context: “Due to the pandemic, the contest organizers were forced to postpone the award ceremony,” “Using the credit card I was able to buy the mattress today and defer the payment until next month” , “Due to the social crisis, the government analyzes the possibility of postponing the elections” .
In the first example we have a postponement that occurs for reasons of force majeure , so that those responsible have no other options. In contrast, the following talks about deferring a payment, that is, purchasing the product today but paying for it later, for the buyer's greater convenience. We end up with another case in which not delaying an event would be almost impossible, since a social crisis is not the ideal environment for government elections.
Take the case of a young woman who was planning to go on a trip on September 1 . However, two days before that date , she began to feel unwell, was diagnosed with appendicitis , and had to undergo surgery. Faced with this situation, she is forced to defer her trip, postponing it until she has recovered from the intervention.
To defer a payment is to postpone it, generally until the following month.
Delayed
To broadcast a program on a delayed basis is to do so some time after its recording. This can apply to both audiovisual and sound media works, such as a video or a podcast , respectively. The opposite concept is called live and direct , something that is currently associated with the term of English origin streaming .
There are advantages and disadvantages for delayed broadcasts compared to the others, but neither of the two is better or worse than the other, but rather they adjust to different needs . The presentation of a commercial product or an awards ceremony is usually done live, while a tutorial is usually recorded for delayed broadcast a large number of times.