1
as in lingering
to move or act slowly
she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in postponing
to assign to a later time
our guests delayed their departure until after dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of delaying
Electric propulsion also enables Blitz to have a low acoustic as well as infra-red signature, delaying detection.
—
Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
Temporarily delaying action on a state law that would open the door for a lot of homes to be built across the city.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026
Naming no beneficiary would force your assets to go to probate, delaying distribution and incurring unnecessary legal fees.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Many Texans also reported delaying or going without treatment because of cost, including 26% of Native Americans, 24% of Hispanics, 18% of Black people and 12% of white people.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Power lines collapsed across University Boulevard in Greenwood Village on Wednesday, delaying traffic, according to law enforcement.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
She's received threats of violence against her and all of the people surrounding her, delaying her return.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 May 2026
Any discrepancy between your medical records and the police report can trigger an investigation, delaying critical wage replacement payments.
—Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
That represents a roughly 16% drop over the past 18 years, which researchers have attributed to a variety of factors including a decline in teen pregnancies and a rise in women delaying having children until later in life.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 10 May 2026
Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
Temporarily delaying action on a state law that would open the door for a lot of homes to be built across the city.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026
Naming no beneficiary would force your assets to go to probate, delaying distribution and incurring unnecessary legal fees.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 14 May 2026
Many Texans also reported delaying or going without treatment because of cost, including 26% of Native Americans, 24% of Hispanics, 18% of Black people and 12% of white people.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Power lines collapsed across University Boulevard in Greenwood Village on Wednesday, delaying traffic, according to law enforcement.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
She's received threats of violence against her and all of the people surrounding her, delaying her return.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 May 2026
Any discrepancy between your medical records and the police report can trigger an investigation, delaying critical wage replacement payments.
—Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
That represents a roughly 16% drop over the past 18 years, which researchers have attributed to a variety of factors including a decline in teen pregnancies and a rise in women delaying having children until later in life.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 10 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delaying
Verb
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Damp conditions inside the drum encourage mildew and lingering odors that can be tough to remove from fabric.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
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The filmmaker explores how Inés’ coming of age mirrors the lingering wounds of Chile’s political transition to democracy from the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet – a theme at the heart of Martelli’s feature debut Chile ’76, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
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Two additional rezoning requests covering roughly 80 acres have been repeatedly tabled, with the council postponing decisions again in March while awaiting a staff briefing on data center infrastructure and policy.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Travelers end up dragging coats through museums or try to shove them into already full suitcases before a train transfer.—
Chantelle Kincy,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
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That’s led to a stark split between Wall Street analysts and energy experts, who have been warning that oil supplies could head off a cliff in the coming months or even weeks, dragging the global economy down in the process.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Domestic sales and government largesse are driving the upturn, but activity is still affected by supply chain disruptions and businesses deferring spending.—
Dominic Dudley,
semafor.com,
6 May 2026
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The ministers warned that deferring the military purchase could compromise Peru’s security interests, but Balcázar said such a large commitment is not for a temporary leader.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Before Sweets could be dressed and draped for surgery, the three feet of stick poking out of her body needed to be addressed.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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British politics in 2026 is a landscape of meh, with Farage’s grin poking over the horizon.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Police said the driver was eventually able to escape by crawling out a window.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Staff started out by wearing bear masks and animal furs, then crawling into the enclosure to spoon-feed the cubs formula.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delaying. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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