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
relayed; relaying
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
relaid
(ˌ)rē-ˈlād 
; relaying
; relaying
: 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
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
The standard version of Beeper used hundreds of Mac mini computers as relay points so that Android messages to iOS devices wouldn’t default to SMS.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024
The meet, which began Friday with some relays and other events, really gets going Saturday evening with elite-level high school athletes competing at Arcadia High School.
—Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 8 Apr. 2024
Barker came back later and anchored the Mustangs’ relay that won the 4×800 in 9:39.86.
—Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 13 Apr. 2024
The relay team of Coleman, Justin Hart, Timothy Wyatt and Kanye Martin won the boys’ 4X100 relay in 40.29 seconds, fastest in the state this season and fifth fastest all time.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The third baseman fired to Stovall at second and his relay was late at first base.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 6 Apr. 2024
For over 25 years, Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt high school’s 4 x 100 relay time of 39.76 seconds was the national record.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Courtesy of James O’Brien/Quanta Magazine New methods have enabled neuroanatomists to trace those pathways from the cerebellum across relay points, following them across the entire brain.
—R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024
Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
In the video from New York, a man who appears to be relaying a message from Google management informs the protesting workers that they have been placed on administrative leave and asks them to take the opportunity to depart peacefully.
—Caroline Haskins, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Some days later, a monitor in the operations center relayed a live aerial feed of the land drone travelling up the road into Tabaivka.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Gallant relayed Israel’s progress in dismantling Hamas in the Gaza Strip as well as ongoing efforts to return hostages taken during the militant group’s brutal attack on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 dead.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
Two members of the Mexican consulate traveled from Indianapolis to attend the hearing, at which a translator sat by Garcia-Gutierrez's side to quietly relay questions and testimony to him during the proceeding.
—The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
The teacher also relayed that information to Parker through an intermediary, according to the lawsuit.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Chung relayed another instruction: the Citroën should drive faster onto the bridge.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The deputy relayed that information to a staffer in Walter’s courtroom.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Notre Dame’s 4x100 relay team ran a season-best time of 41.23 and includes its super quick quarterback, Steele Pizzella.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
The standard version of Beeper used hundreds of Mac mini computers as relay points so that Android messages to iOS devices wouldn’t default to SMS.
—Lauren Goode, WIRED, 9 Apr. 2024
The meet, which began Friday with some relays and other events, really gets going Saturday evening with elite-level high school athletes competing at Arcadia High School.
—Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 8 Apr. 2024
Barker came back later and anchored the Mustangs’ relay that won the 4×800 in 9:39.86.
—Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 13 Apr. 2024
The relay team of Coleman, Justin Hart, Timothy Wyatt and Kanye Martin won the boys’ 4X100 relay in 40.29 seconds, fastest in the state this season and fifth fastest all time.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The third baseman fired to Stovall at second and his relay was late at first base.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 6 Apr. 2024
For over 25 years, Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt high school’s 4 x 100 relay time of 39.76 seconds was the national record.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Courtesy of James O’Brien/Quanta Magazine New methods have enabled neuroanatomists to trace those pathways from the cerebellum across relay points, following them across the entire brain.
—R Douglas Fields, WIRED, 31 Mar. 2024
Verb
AirTags uses the BlueTooth signal on nearby iPhones to relay its position.
—Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
In the video from New York, a man who appears to be relaying a message from Google management informs the protesting workers that they have been placed on administrative leave and asks them to take the opportunity to depart peacefully.
—Caroline Haskins, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Some days later, a monitor in the operations center relayed a live aerial feed of the land drone travelling up the road into Tabaivka.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Gallant relayed Israel’s progress in dismantling Hamas in the Gaza Strip as well as ongoing efforts to return hostages taken during the militant group’s brutal attack on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 dead.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
Two members of the Mexican consulate traveled from Indianapolis to attend the hearing, at which a translator sat by Garcia-Gutierrez's side to quietly relay questions and testimony to him during the proceeding.
—The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
The teacher also relayed that information to Parker through an intermediary, according to the lawsuit.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Chung relayed another instruction: the Citroën should drive faster onto the bridge.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The deputy relayed that information to a staffer in Walter’s courtroom.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near relay
Cite this Entry
“Relay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relay. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
relay
1 of 3 noun
re·lay
ˈrē-ˌlā
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
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