Choose the word that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word:
The umpires who defer the judgement are not very popular with the cricket fans.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → protract
Defer means to put off to a later time, postpone. Umpires who keep putting off their decision make the fans wait, so they are not popular. Its synonym is protract.
Example: The meeting has been deferred till Monday.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) stimulate | to encourage something to grow or become more active (it has nothing to do with delay) | Good books stimulate a child's imagination. |
| (2) hasten | to make something happen sooner (it is the opposite of defer) | The rain hastened the end of the match. |
| (3) protract (answer) | to make something last longer, drag out (deferring a judgement drags out the wait for it) | The lawyers protracted the case for years. |
| (4) expedite | to make a process happen more quickly (it too is an antonym of defer) | The office promised to expedite my passport application. |
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