delay

1 of 2

noun

de·​lay di-ˈlā 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• detainment
• detention
• holdback
• holding pattern
• holdup
• wait

Verb

• crawl
• creep
• dally
• dawdle
• diddle
• dillydally
• drag
• lag
• linger
• loiter
• lollygag
• lallygag
• mope
• poke
• shilly-shally
• tarry

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

Under cost-cutting orders from the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, purchasing cards had been frozen, requiring approvals for all but emergency expenses, which sometimes meant lengthy delays. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025

Anyone who pays close attention to the launch industry knows delays are part of the business. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025

Verb

There's also great uncertainty as Trump seeks negotiations with China and begins talks with other counties whose larger tariffs were delayed by 90 days. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025

Funds should go out within 30 days of the final approval hearing on July 17, 2025, but they may be delayed by appeals or injunctions. —Ryley Amond, CNBC, 18 Apr. 2025

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

Phrases Containing delay

• delay tactic
• without delay

Rhymes for delay

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

delay

1 of 2 noun

de·​lay di-ˈlā 

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 

Thomas (Dale) 1947–     American politician