post-date

The check was post-dated to the first of next month.

Definition

1. Verb:

   • To assign a date later than the actual date: "post-date" means to mark a document, cheque, or event with a date that is after the true or current date.
   • To occur later than: In a temporal sense, "post-date" can mean to happen or exist after something else in time.

2. Noun:

   • A date set later than the actual date: "post-date" refers to the date that is placed on a document or item, which is later than the real date of creation or signing.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • She decided to post-date the cheque to next month. (She wrote a date on the cheque that is later than the current day.)
  • The discovery of the ancient tool post-dates the first known settlement by several centuries. (The tool was made after the settlement existed.)

• Noun:

  • The post-date on the contract was deliberately set for the following week. (The later date written on the agreement was chosen intentionally.)

Advanced Usage

• "to post-date a document": to intentionally write a future date on a legal or official paper.

  • The landlord asked the tenant to post-date the rent receipt. (The landlord wanted the receipt to show a date later than when it was actually issued.)

• "post-date an event": to assign a later date to a historical occurrence.

  • Scholars argue that the manuscript post-dates the original text by at least fifty years. (The manuscript was written after the original text.)

Variants and Related Words

• Postdated (adj): marked with a later date.

  • The postdated cheque was not accepted by the bank. (The cheque showing a future date was rejected.)

• Postdating (n): the act of assigning a later date.

  • Postdating documents is common in some business arrangements. (The practice of writing future dates is normal in certain deals.)

Synonyms

• Antedate (opposite): to assign a date earlier than the actual date.
• Succeed: to come after in time (for the verb meaning "to occur later").
• Defer: to postpone an action or date.

Related Idioms

• "post-date a payment": to schedule a payment for a later date.

  • He asked to post-date the payment to avoid late fees. (He wanted the payment to be processed later than the due date.)

• "post-date a letter": to write a future date on a letter.

  • She post-dated the letter to make it appear she wrote it after her vacation. (She wrote a later date to change the perceived timing.)