delay

noun

de·lay | \di-ˈlā,

dē-\

Definition of delay

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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

verb

Definition of delay (Entry 2 of 3)

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

DeLay

biographical name

De·Lay | \di-ˈlā

Definition of DeLay (Entry 3 of 3)

Thomas (Dale) 1947– American politician

Other Words from delay Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about delay

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Choose the Right Synonym for delay

Verb

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. language barriers retarded their progress slow and slacken also imply a reduction of speed, slow often suggesting deliberate intention medication slowed the patient's heart rate , 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

As expected, Musk promised the Model 3 would arrive at the end of 2017, though production delays like those that have affected previous Tesla rollouts could push that back into 2018. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Watch Google's Pixel 3 Reveal Event Here, Live," 9 Oct. 2018 Carrie and Marvin had two biological teenagers, both with developmental delays. — Yasmine Koenig As Told To Liz Welch, Seventeen, "My Mom Took Me Overseas and Forced Me Into Being a Teen Bride," 26 Sep. 2018 Shook said the delay from when the incident happened, Oct.20, to the indictment, June 7, is unusual, but White had moved in that time and changed his number. — Drew Davison, star-telegram, "Cowboys' White faces assault charges for brandishing gun in road rage incident; attorney says he's innocent," 9 July 2018 Pruitt, and more importantly, Trump, treated these announcements and delays like wins. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Why Scott Pruitt lasted so long at the EPA, and what finally did him in," 7 July 2018 One somewhat delicate point the authors emphasize is their belief, despite criticism at the time, that the evacuation in the Everest region didn’t delay rescue efforts elsewhere in Nepal. — Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, "The Devastating Aftermath of an Avalanche on Everest," 6 July 2018 There was a two-hour delay in the all-day test session because of an issue with an artificial chicane designed to slow speeds on the oval’s backstretch. — Mike Hembree, USA TODAY, "Charlotte Motor Speedway's 'roval' course remains a mystery after testing," 10 July 2018 Even in an era when there were no electronic-media delays and when the average game was more than an hour faster than today’s (1:47 in 1920 compared to 3:05 in 2017), 51 minutes was a breathtaking pace. — Frank Fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "When and how the Phillies once played nine innings in 51 minutes," 9 July 2018 The second way a confirmation might fail would be a legislative delay. — James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, "These six people could decide whether Trump’s nominee will actually join the Supreme Court," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The October 2018 Update, delayed due to the potential for data loss, hasn’t been pushed to anyone but Windows Insiders. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Hints of Windows 10's 2019 future show up in early '19H1' builds," 6 Nov. 2018 Comcast told customers a week ago that power outages may delay restoration of cable service. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "Ajit Pai killed rules that could have helped Florida recover from hurricane," 18 Oct. 2018 Some companies that make food sensitivity test kits claim to be able to diagnose food sensitivities that cause delayed or chronic adverse reactions. — SELF, "I'm a Registered Dietitian and Here’s What I Want People to Know About 'Food Sensitivity' Testing Kits," 12 Oct. 2018 The instigator was then removed from the aircraft and the brawl ended up delaying the trip one full hour. — Fox News, "Violent brawl delays Southwest Airlines flight after overhead bin fight," 2 Oct. 2018 Kavanaugh wanted the procedure delayed until the girl found foster parents who could talk it through with her—letting her pregnancy tick on toward the 20-week deadline for abortions under Texas law. — Megan Angelo, Glamour, "The Kavanaugh Hearings, Day 3: In a Surprise Bring It On Reenactment, Democratic Senators Channel the Toros," 7 Sep. 2018 She and Harry reportedly delayed their honeymoon to attend, confirming just how eager Meghan was to start her life as a working member of the royal family. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Inside Meghan Markle's First 100 Days in the Royal Family," 27 Aug. 2018 In previous years, it was closed the weekend before Memorial Day, but this year the Grand Prix delayed construction on Central Avenue until after the holiday weekend. — Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, "Without Belle Isle, Grand Prix will have to leave metro Detroit," 12 July 2018 Media: Wibbitz Policy analysts say this is especially troubling because as people delay treatments, their conditions often worsen over time, leading to even higher costs. — Jenny Deam, Houston Chronicle, "Texans missing or delaying needed treatment because health costs too high," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for delay

Noun

see delay entry 2

Verb

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