delay

1 of 2

noun

de·​lay di-ˈlā How to pronounce delay (audio)
dē-
1
a
: the act of postponing, hindering, or causing something to occur more slowly than normal : the state of being delayed
get started without delay
b
: an instance of being delayed
apologized for the delay
a rain delay
2
: the time during which something is delayed
waited out a delay of 30 minutes

delay

2 of 2

verb

delayed; delaying; delays

transitive verb

1
: put off, postpone
delay a departure
They're delaying marriage or, increasingly, not getting married at all …Irin Carmon
2
: to stop, detain, or hinder for a time
The mails were delayed by heavy snows.
… issued executive orders delaying the release of records from Ronald Reagan's administration …Editor & Publisher
3
: to cause to be slower or to occur more slowly than normal
delay a child's development
… a drug that not only can extend life by delaying the onset of aging-related diseases …Bill Gifford

intransitive verb

: to move or act slowly
This offer ends soon, so don't delay.
delayed in responding to my message
also : to cause delay
delayer noun
Choose the Right Synonym for delay

delay, retard, slow, slacken, detain mean to cause to be late or behind in movement or progress.

delay implies a holding back, usually by interference, from completion or arrival.

bad weather delayed our arrival

retard suggests reduction of speed without actual stopping.

treatment that retards tumor growth

slow and slacken also imply a reduction of speed, slow often suggesting deliberate intention

she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing

, slacken an easing up or relaxing of power or effort.

on hot days runners slacken their pace

detain implies a holding back beyond a reasonable or appointed time.

unexpected business had detained her

delay, procrastinate, lag, loiter, dawdle, dally mean to move or act slowly so as to fall behind.

delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time.

loitered at several store windows
children dawdling on their way home from school

dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

Examples of delay in a Sentence

Noun Do you know what's causing the delay? a number of flight delays After months of delay, construction on the new school began. Airline travelers are experiencing delays of up to three hours. Verb The doctor wants to delay surgery for a few weeks. She's planning to delay her retirement. He delayed too long, and now it's too late. “Don't delay! Sale ends Saturday.” Production problems delayed the introduction of the new model by several months.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Joyce added that the delay will not prevent the private biomedical institute from hiring new faculty and acquiring new technologies to augment its research. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2024 The problems for the performance have since been pinned on the sound delay in the stadium and Barr starting the song on too high of a note. James Powel, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 An increase in clashes with Israeli settlers, as well as delays at checkpoints and road closures imposed by the Israeli military, are all adding to stress and aggravation felt by Palestinians here. D. Parvaz, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 The severe winter storm has also created life-threatening conditions on major roadways, forced closures and delays at Tahoe ski resorts and plunged thousands of residents east of Sacramento into darkness. Maya Miller, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2024 Crime and courts Trump’s trials: Recent court delays could help the former president. Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 The delay on the bill likely explains why early tax season filing numbers are still down in almost every category. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Sometimes they haven’t been updated, which can lead to serious delays, missing a great offer, or turning down a kidney late in the process once the patient or the organ arrives at our center. Joshua Mezrich, STAT, 2 Mar. 2024 What started as a simple renovation plan in 2020, turned into supply chain delays, zoning appeals, and community petitions. Detroit Free Press, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Construction of the bridge began in fall 2018, with the opening timeline delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024 While Covid-19 delayed the run, the Crowes were finally able to hit the road in 2021. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Although a heatwave and dry period in June of the growing season delayed berry growth, heavy rains in July and August and intermittent hot days with intense sunlight helped to make up the difference. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 The previous year, his time playing in the Arizona Fall League delayed his offseason until November. Josh Amick, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Major hospitals have had up to half of their operations delayed, and nurses have been allowed to assume some of the duties of doctors. Jin Yu Young, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 As long as the regulators, including an unforeseen extension of the DOJ guardrails, keep their grip on Boeing, expect its results to be delayed at the gate, instead of cruising at 35,000 feet. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 Myer still saw the movie that night, but delayed his viral ride until Sunday afternoon. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024 That potentially delays the bill until 2027 when the next legislative term begins. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French delaier, from de- + laier to leave, from lai-, present and future stem of lesser, laisser to leave, from Latin laxare to slacken, from laxus loose — more at slack

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of delay was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near delay

Cite this Entry

“Delay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delay. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

delay

1 of 2 noun
de·​lay di-ˈlā How to pronounce delay (audio)
1
: the act of delaying : the state of being delayed
start without delay
2
: the time during which something is delayed
a delay of 30 minutes

delay

2 of 2 verb
1
: postpone, put off
delay a trip
2
: to stop, detain, or hinder for a time
delayed by a storm
3
: to move or act slowly
delayer noun

Biographical Definition

DeLay

biographical name

De·​Lay di-ˈlā How to pronounce DeLay (audio)
Thomas (Dale) 1947–     American politician

More from Merriam-Webster on delay

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!