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
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
The latter isn’t an event staged at the Olympics, but throw in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays and Lyles could target four different disciplines in Paris, an unprecedented breadth of ambition for a sprinter.
—Amanda Davies, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
The Razorbacks are the only school qualified in both relay events with their 1,600 and distance medley teams.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024
Last year at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, Bol and Klaver were legs on the mixed 4x400-meter relay.
—Katelyn Hutchison, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
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
As Bayer relayed this information to the room that night, board members shook their heads and covered their faces with their hands.
—Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2024
This warning could then be relayed to family members on their Apple Watch or sent to a drowning detection system at a pool to notify lifeguards.
—Oscar Gonzalez / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
There are a lot of questions about what Ohtani knew and what information Mizuhara had and was not properly relaying to him, as well as, of course, broader speculation about what’s really going on here.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2024
The patient can conveniently and painlessly perform the testing at home, with results immediately relayed to the provider via the app.
—Bruce Rogers, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
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
The latter isn’t an event staged at the Olympics, but throw in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays and Lyles could target four different disciplines in Paris, an unprecedented breadth of ambition for a sprinter.
—Amanda Davies, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
The Razorbacks are the only school qualified in both relay events with their 1,600 and distance medley teams.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 29 Feb. 2024
Last year at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, Bol and Klaver were legs on the mixed 4x400-meter relay.
—Katelyn Hutchison, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
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
As Bayer relayed this information to the room that night, board members shook their heads and covered their faces with their hands.
—Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2024
This warning could then be relayed to family members on their Apple Watch or sent to a drowning detection system at a pool to notify lifeguards.
—Oscar Gonzalez / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
There are a lot of questions about what Ohtani knew and what information Mizuhara had and was not properly relaying to him, as well as, of course, broader speculation about what’s really going on here.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2024
The patient can conveniently and painlessly perform the testing at home, with results immediately relayed to the provider via the app.
—Bruce Rogers, Forbes, 28 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 19 Apr. 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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