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 detainment, detention, holdback, holding pattern, holdup, wait Related Words deferment, deferral, postponement; reprieve, respite; foot-dragging, hesitation, lag, pause, setback, slowdown Near Antonyms haste, rush; dispatch, promptitude, promptness

1 to move or act slowly she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed Synonyms crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag (also lallygag), mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry Related Words 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 drag one's feet (also drag one's heels), drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time Near Antonyms 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 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 defer, postpone, hold off (on), hold over, hold up, lay over, put off, put over, remit, shelveRelated Words suspend; hesitate, pause, stay; detain, retard, slow; extend, lengthen, prolong, protract, stretch (out); waitNear Antonyms act, deal (with), decide (upon), do, work (on)