temporize
verb /ˈtempəraɪz/
/ˈtempəraɪz/
(British English also temporise)
[intransitive] (formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they temporize | /ˈtempəraɪz/ /ˈtempəraɪz/ |
| he / she / it temporizes | /ˈtempəraɪzɪz/ /ˈtempəraɪzɪz/ |
| past simple temporized | /ˈtempəraɪzd/ /ˈtempəraɪzd/ |
| past participle temporized | /ˈtempəraɪzd/ /ˈtempəraɪzd/ |
| -ing form temporizing | /ˈtempəraɪzɪŋ/ /ˈtempəraɪzɪŋ/ |
- to delay making a decision or giving a definite answer, in order to gain timeWord Originlate 16th cent.: from French temporiser ‘bide one's time’, from medieval Latin temporizare ‘to delay’, from Latin tempus, tempor- ‘time’.