relay

1 of 3

noun

re·​lay ˈrē-ˌlā How to pronounce relay (audio)
1
a
: a supply (as of horses) arranged beforehand for successive relief
b
: a number of persons who relieve others in some work
worked in relays around the clock
2
a
: a race between teams in which each team member successively covers a specified portion of the course
b
: one of the divisions of a relay
3
: an electromagnetic device for remote or automatic control that is actuated by variation in conditions of an electric circuit and that operates in turn other devices (such as switches) in the same or a different circuit
4
5
: the act of passing along (something, such as a message or ball) by stages
also : one of such stages

relay

2 of 3

verb (1)

relayed; relaying

transitive verb

1
a
: to place or dispose in relays
b
: to provide with relays
2
: to pass along by relays
news was relayed to distant points
3
: to control or operate by a relay

relay

3 of 3

verb (2)

re·​lay (ˌ)rē-ˈlā How to pronounce relay (audio)
relaid (ˌ)rē-ˈlād How to pronounce relay (audio) ; relaying

transitive verb

: to lay again
relay track

Examples of relay in a Sentence

Noun Our relay team is training for next weekend's race. a satellite relay of a television signal We set up a relay to carry buckets of water to the campsite. They worked in relays to clear the rubble.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
So there was almost a relay of footage that this film was made from. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Arkansas has the top qualifying mark in the 1,600 relay and the No. 3 high jumper in Rachel Glenn. Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Holmes holds the world record in the mixed 4x400-meter relay, is a world champion, and is currently ranked number four in the world in the indoor 400-meter. Katelyn Hutchison, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 May 4 Overview: This season follows a year for the record books: San Diego Section marks were set in three boys individual events, two boys relays, one girls individual race and a girls relay. San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2024 Boys: 9-10: 400-meter relay (Ivory Aikens, Dylan Taylor, Mark William, Mekhi Marshall) silver medalist; 1,600-meter relay (Ivory Aikens, Dylan Taylor, Mekhi Marshall, Nestor Genao) silver medalist. Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Now for a tiny gadget with a considerable impact: Shelly’s quarter-size Mini Gen 3 relays make any standard wall switch or socket — smart. Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 De La Cruz also did his part defensively in left field, making a sliding grab in the bottom of the second inning on a Willson Contreras line drive and starting a relay throw later in the inning that resulted in Alec Burleson being tagged out at home. Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2024 The half marathon relay takes place on Friday evening and the marathon relay takes place Saturday afternoon, following the solo half marathon races. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
If a 23-year-old can understand the value of newspapers and relay it to her generation on TikTok, maybe this old-fashioned medium will be cool, again. Jodie Valade, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 Synan then met with the chief of another police department in Hamilton County, who relayed to Synan that Kobasuk was investigating him for misuse of funds and of a police cruiser, the suit states. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 The sensors, which measure animal behavior 10 times a second, connect to a nearby electronic control box that captures the data from each animal and relays it to scientists or technicians. John Koetsier, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Moments later, at 5:25 p.m., dispatch relays the information to patrol officers. Katie Mettler, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 All the other instruments on board Odysseus have functioned and relayed information for engineers and scientists to peruse, officials said Wednesday. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 The current trial involved implanting a brain-computer interface in a part of the brain that relays an intention to move, Neuralink has said. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2024 But dozens of horror stories were relayed by residents who managed to get out as Russian forces fought their way deeper into the city. Marc Santora Tyler Hicks, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 To bolster their argument, prosecutors have revealed extensive excerpts of what Smirnov relayed to his handler in recent months. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'relay.' 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

Noun

Middle English, set of fresh hounds, from relayen

Verb (1)

Middle English, to release a set of fresh hounds, take a fresh horse, from Middle French relaier, from re- + laier to let go, leave — more at delay

Verb (2)

re- + lay entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of relay was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near relay

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

relay

1 of 3 noun
re·​lay ˈrē-ˌlā How to pronounce relay (audio)
1
: a fresh supply (as of horses or people) arranged to relieve others
2
a
: a race between teams in which each team member covers an assigned part of the course
b
: one of the divisions of a relay
3
: an electromagnetic device in which the opening or closing of one circuit operates another device (as a switch in another circuit)
4
: the act of passing along (as a message or a ball) by stages
also : one of such stages
the shortstop's relay from center field was too late to catch the runner

relay

2 of 3 verb
relayed; relaying
1
a
: to place or arrange in relays
b
: to provide with relays
2
: to pass along by stages
news was relayed by satellites

relay

3 of 3 verb
re·​lay (ˈ)rē-ˈlā How to pronounce relay (audio)
relaid -ˈlād How to pronounce relay (audio) ; relaying
: to lay again
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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