Thesaurus

delay

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of delay

an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business

there was a delay for our boarding while the airplane unloaded incoming passengers

Synonyms of delay

detainment, detention, holdback, holding pattern, holdup, wait

Words Related to delay

deferment, deferral, postponement

reprieve, respite

foot-dragging, hesitation, lag, pause, setback, slowdown

Near Antonyms of delay

dispatch, promptitude, promptness

delay

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of delay

1 to move or act slowly

she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed

Synonyms of delay

crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag (also lallygag), mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry

Words Related to delay

fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge

amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll

decelerate, slow (down or up)

filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize

Phrases Synonymous with delay

drag one's feet (also drag one's heels), drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time

Near Antonyms of delay

bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede

gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot

accelerate, quicken, speed (up)

catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

Antonyms of delay

barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz (or whizz), zip

2 to assign to a later time

our guests delayed their departure until after dinner

Synonyms of delay

defer, hold off (on), hold over, hold up, lay over, postpone, put off, put over, remit, shelve

Words Related to delay

hesitate, pause, stay

detain, retard, slow

extend, lengthen, prolong, protract, stretch (out)

Near Antonyms of delay

act, deal (with), decide (upon), do, work (on)

Synonym Discussion of 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.

- 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

Learn More about delay

See words that rhyme with delay Dictionary: Definition of delay Spanish Central: Translation of delay Nglish: Translation of delay for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of delay for Arabic speakers

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WORD OF THE DAY

detritus

miscellaneous remnants or debris