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Meetings & Communicationtable thisverb · /ˈteɪbəl ðɪs/

How to Say "table this" at Work

In simple English

In tech meetings and workplace communications, when someone suggests tabling a topic, they are proposing that the team stop discussing it now and revisit it at a different time. This is a diplomatic way to manage meeting time and keep discussions focused. For example, if a debate about architecture decisions is taking too long, a manager might say we should table this and come back to it next week when we have more data. It is different from canceling or rejecting the topic; it simply means postponing the conversation. In tech companies, this phrase is essential for keeping meetings productive and ensuring teams do not get stuck on one issue when there are other urgent matters to address.

What does it mean to table something in a meeting, and how is it used in tech workplaces?

Part of Meetings & Standups in the Knowledge Base.

At a glanceCEFR B2
Commonness4/5
Versatility4/5
FormalityCasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenSpoken
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticDiplomatic
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓Let us table this for now and revisit it next sprint.
✓I think we should table this discussion until we have more data.
✓Can we table this and focus on the deployment first?

Real examples

in a standup

"We ran into some disagreement about the database schema, but we decided to table this and get back to it after the code review."

in a team meeting

"The PM suggested we table this feature request until we have clearer requirements from the client."

in a sprint planning

"There is a lot of uncertainty around the third-party integration, so let us table this task for the next sprint."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Non-native speakers often confuse this with the literal meaning of placing something on a table. It is an idiom meaning to postpone or set aside discussion of a topic, not to physically put something on a table.

✕We need to table this issue on the table for discussion.
✓We need to table this issue and come back to it later.— Tabling is not the same as putting something on a table for discussion. It means setting it aside temporarily.
✕I tabled the document on the meeting table.
✓I placed the document on the meeting table.— Table this is an idiom about postponing discussion, not about placing physical objects on furniture.
✕We will table this and never discuss it again.
✓We will table this and discuss it next week.— Tabling means postponing, not abandoning. There is an expectation to revisit the topic later.

Other forms

verb

table this

"We should table this discussion until we have more information."

verb

tabled

"The proposal was tabled at the last meeting and will be reviewed next month."

verb

tabling

"By tabling this issue, we can focus on more urgent tasks."

Often used with

table this for nowUsed to suggest postponing something in the immediate future
table this discussionSpecifically referring to postponing a conversation or debate
table this topicGeneral phrase for postponing any subject matter
table this until next weekSpecifying when the postponed item will be revisited

Similar words

postponeMore formal and general term for delaying something
put on holdSimilar meaning but slightly less formal in tech contexts
deferMore formal alternative; commonly used in official settings
shelveSimilar meaning but suggests longer postponement or lower priority

Opposites

addresstackleresolve

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. Your team is debating the best testing framework. Time is running out in the meeting. How do you suggest postponing the discussion?

Complete the sentence

2. The security team wants more time to review the new authentication flow, so we decided to _______ this for the next sprint.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses table this incorrectly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite this in natural tech English using table this: We need to stop talking about the database optimization problem right now and come back to it when we have more performance data.

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "table this" in a standup this week?

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