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Meaning & use

draft deferment

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈdrɑːft dɪˌfɜːmənt/
US/ˈdræft dɪˌfɝːmənt/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    Official permission to delay being called up for compulsory military service.

    Grammar: Can be countable (a draft deferment) or uncountable (the granting of draft deferment).

    Patterns

    • draft deferment for someone
    • apply for draft deferment
    • grant someone a draft deferment

    He received a draft deferment because he was still at university.

    The government stopped granting draft deferments for most students.

    Without a draft deferment, he would have been sent overseas immediately.

  2. nouncountable

    A period during which someone is officially allowed to put off compulsory military service.

    Grammar: Often used with 'a' or in the plural: a two-year deferment, several deferments.

    Patterns

    • a deferment of + period
    • a deferment from + service
    • a deferment until + time

    He was given a deferment until he finished his studies.

    The board approved a two-year deferment for medical reasons.

    She used her deferment to complete her degree before being called up.

Word forms

pluraldraft deferments

Common combinations

apply for a draft deferment
Many young men applied for a draft deferment during the war.
grant a draft deferment
The draft board granted him a deferment because of his health.
medical draft deferment
He was eligible for a medical draft deferment after his injury.
student draft deferment
Student draft deferments were common in the 1960s.
deny a draft deferment
The board denied his request for a draft deferment.

Synonyms and how they differ

deferral
A general word for postponing anything, not just military service; draft deferment is specific to conscription.
exemption
Means you are permanently free from an obligation, while a deferment only delays it.

Word family

defer verb
To delay something until a later time.
deferment noun
The act of delaying, or the state of being delayed.

Commonly confused: draft deferment or draft evasion?

draft deferment vs draft evasion

Draft evasion is illegally avoiding military service; a draft deferment is a legal postponement.

Practice

During the Vietnam War, many young men sought a draft ______ to continue their education.

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