1.
to defer; to postpone; to shelve
To push a decision, action, or problem to a later time. Often used critically to describe avoidance of difficult decisions, particularly in political and business contexts.
議論を先送りにする。
To defer the discussion.
政府は改革を先送りにした。
The government shelved the reforms.
問題を先送りにするだけでは解決しない。
Simply deferring the problem will not solve it.
増税の判断を来年に先送りにすることが決まった。
It was decided to defer the decision on the tax increase to next year.
A frequently used expression in news, politics, and business. Carries a critical tone — implying that the postponement is an evasion of responsibility rather than a legitimate scheduling change. The noun form 先送り is also very common.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 〜を先送りにする: to put off (something)
- 先送り体質: tendency to defer (institutional criticism)
- 判断の先送り: deferral of a decision
- 〜に先送りにする: to defer to (a specific time)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 先延ばしにする: to postpone, to procrastinate — similar meaning but more personal, everyday; implies individual procrastination
- 延期する: to postpone — neutral, official; commonly used for events and schedules
- 後回しにする: to put off until later — more casual, implies deprioritizing
- 棚上げにする: to shelve — strong implication of indefinite postponement
REGISTER:
Neutral to formal. Very common in political commentary and news reporting. The key difference from 先延ばし is that 先送り tends to be used for institutional or political decisions, while 先延ばし is more personal.