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
The reason for the nine-month delay in Capilla's booking into jail following the incident was not immediately clear. The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2024 Due to delays in reporting national data, this number does not include the current outbreak in Chicago. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024 West released Vultures 1, a collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign, on Feb. 9 after multiple delays and shifting release dates. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 The lawsuit, filed in March 2017, alleged that delays within the civil immigration system were significantly longer than criminal court systems, which require the person to be promptly brought before a judge — typically within a few days of arrest for those in custody. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024 The delay — lasting 30 days from the judge’s Friday decision — stems from the recent disclosure of more than 100,000 pages of records that may have some bearing on the case. William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 But have no fear, Saint Brigid will keep the two of them apart — by throwing all sorts of delays into the ability of Maddie’s mother (Jane Seymour) to make the trip from Des Moines to West Ireland. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 The delay comes after Trump's attorneys protested the late production of a voluminous amount of pretrial discovery in the case. Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 City of Flint blames winter weather for recent delays The case is separate from another Flint lawsuit, which has also been settled, under which Flint residents were awarded $626.25 million to compensate them for lead poisoning. Paul Egan, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
But disappointing inflation readings gave investors a rude awakening, and if economic data continue to show more of the same, then the Fed could very well delay the first rate cut into the fall — even if there’s a US presidential election right around the corner. Bryan Mena, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 The defense has also sought to delay the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on Mr. Trump’s presidential immunity claims, which his lawyers say could apply to some of the allegations and evidence in the hush money case. Michael R. Sisak, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Mar. 2024 Social distancing rules would delay a memorial service, leaving Norris, of Germantown, Md., to shoulder the loss alone. Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors have requested a July start, but Trump’s legal team is pressing to delay until after the presidential election. Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Her other option is to step aside, which would risk delaying the trial until after the November election. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 The mission has already been delayed: In January, the agency pushed it from late 2025 to late 2026. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 Previous launches were delayed by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, according to Chief Executive Officer Masakazu Toyoda. TIME, 13 Mar. 2024 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

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 29 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!