Say it like this
- Let's punt on that until next sprint.
- Can we punt this to the platform team?
- I'd punt on the redesign for now.
Use it at work
Delaying work
- Let's punt on that until next quarter.
- I'd punt on the polish and ship the core first.
Passing it on
- Can we punt this question to legal?
- They punted the ticket back to us.
Saying it formally
- Let's defer this to phase 2.
- We propose moving reporting to the next release.
Don't say this
Use "punt on" + the topic.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| punt | delay or pass it on | US teams, informal | deprioritizing work |
| table this | postpone discussion | meetings (US meaning) | stopping a topic for now |
| parking lot | a list of topics for later | facilitators | capturing off-topic ideas |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. Your team has too much work. You want to delay a low-priority feature. What do you say?
2. We don't need offline mode yet, so let's _______ on it for now.
3. Which sentence uses punt correctly?
4. Rewrite for a formal client email: 'We'll punt on reporting for now.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"Let's punt on that until next sprint."
We don't save your recording. The word check uses your browser's speech recognition.
More about punt
Real examples(3)
- in sprint planning
"We're over capacity, so let's punt on the export feature."
- in a design review
"We can punt on multi-region support; nobody needs it this year."
- negative meaning
"They punted the bug to us instead of fixing it themselves."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Punt is casual and American. In formal writing or with non-US teams, use defer or postpone.
- ✕Punt it! (in a formal client email)✓We suggest deferring this to phase 2.
Punt is informal. In formal writing, use defer or postpone.
- ✕We punted the feature. (meaning we finished it)✓We shipped the feature.
Punt means delay or pass it away, never complete it.
Other forms(3)
- punt on (something) verb + on
"Let's punt on the migration."
- punt (something) to (someone) verb + to
"They punted the ticket to support."
- a punt noun
"Delaying it is a reasonable punt."
Often used with(3)
- punt on a decision · decide later
- punt it to next sprint · delay to a later sprint
- punt to another team · pass responsibility to them
Similar words(3)
- defer · formal
- push back · neutral
- put on the back burner · idiomatic, informal
Opposites(3)
- tackle
- prioritize
- deal with it now
Questions(4)
- What does punt mean at work?
- To delay a decision or task, or pass it to someone else, because it is not a priority now.
- Where does punt come from?
- From American football: when a team cannot score, they kick (punt) the ball away to the other team.
- Is punt negative?
- It can be neutral, like a smart delay. "Punting a problem to another team" sounds negative, like avoiding responsibility.
- What is a formal alternative to punt?
- "Defer", "postpone" or "move to a later phase".
