Meaning & use
postdate
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To write a date on a document that is later than the actual date it is written.
Grammar: Takes an object: postdate a check. Often used about checks.
Patterns
- postdate a check
- postdate a document
- postdate something by a week
He postdated the check so it could be cashed next month.
The contract was postdated to take effect in January.
She postdated the letter by three days.
verbtransitiveformal
To come after something else in time; to be later than something.
Grammar: Takes an object: The letter postdates the contract. Often used in formal or academic writing.
Patterns
- postdate something
- postdate the event
The letter postdates the contract by a year.
His later novels postdate the war.
The invention of the printing press postdates the manuscript.
Word forms
| third person singular | postdates |
|---|---|
| past tense | postdated |
| past participle | postdated |
| -ing form | postdating |
Common combinations
- postdate a check
- The landlord asked me to postdate the check for the first of the month.
- postdate a letter
- He postdated the letter to make it seem recent.
- postdate something by a week
- She postdated the invoice by a week to allow time for payment.
- postdate the contract
- They agreed to postdate the contract to the start of the new year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- antedate
- Antedate means to put an earlier date on something; postdate means a later date.
- follow
- Follow simply means to come after; postdate is more formal and often used for documents or events.
Opposites
Word family
- postdated adjective
- Having a date later than the actual date, as in a postdated check.
Commonly confused: postdate or backdate?
postdate vs backdate
Backdate means to put an earlier date on a document; postdate means a later date.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence with 'postdate'.
Choose one answer.
Postdate means to write a later date, so the check written on the 1st can be dated the 15th. Option B describes backdating, and options C and D use incorrect grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “postdate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.