1
as in lingering
to move or act slowly
she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Cold temperatures can make oil thicker, delaying its flow.
—
Charles Singh, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Bazaldua has argued that the city may save money by having the WNBA team play and practice at existing facilities, as building new ones and delaying the projects increases costs.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
This is why Velasco Herrera recommends delaying the Artemis 2 mission until the second half of this year.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Iran has proven to be a master at delaying and complicating talks.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
Lowe’s has also made its own moves to reach customers who are delaying home purchases, such as launching a third-party marketplace to expand its mix of merchandise, tapping influencers to raise its visibility on social media and reaching out to young families by relaunching its kids’ program.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
An advisory committee on vaccines newly populated by members who share Kennedy’s criticism of vaccines voted in December to recommend delaying when most babies begin to be vaccinated against the virus.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 25 Feb. 2026
Blizzards also can lead to things happening a little differently, such as a mayor getting behind the wheel of a plow, or delaying the homecoming of a popular turkey.
—Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 25 Feb. 2026
Council member Aurin Chowdhury argued that delaying the license renewal would allow the city to investigate safety concerns.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Charles Singh, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Bazaldua has argued that the city may save money by having the WNBA team play and practice at existing facilities, as building new ones and delaying the projects increases costs.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
This is why Velasco Herrera recommends delaying the Artemis 2 mission until the second half of this year.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Iran has proven to be a master at delaying and complicating talks.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
Lowe’s has also made its own moves to reach customers who are delaying home purchases, such as launching a third-party marketplace to expand its mix of merchandise, tapping influencers to raise its visibility on social media and reaching out to young families by relaunching its kids’ program.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
An advisory committee on vaccines newly populated by members who share Kennedy’s criticism of vaccines voted in December to recommend delaying when most babies begin to be vaccinated against the virus.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 25 Feb. 2026
Blizzards also can lead to things happening a little differently, such as a mayor getting behind the wheel of a plow, or delaying the homecoming of a popular turkey.
—Will Richmond, The Providence Journal, 25 Feb. 2026
Council member Aurin Chowdhury argued that delaying the license renewal would allow the city to investigate safety concerns.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delaying
Verb
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Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers seems to be in pole position, but there is still Cole Palmer at Chelsea, Phil Foden at Manchester City and the lingering conundrum of how Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham fits in.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But a longstanding feature of Nigerian elections includes delays in distributing voting materials on polling day and — during the 2023 ballot — glitchy equipment postponing the timely transmission of results.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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Texas played twice because a line of storms swept across the Austin area Saturday, postponing a second game against Ohio State and canceling a second game against Syracuse.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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An Apple Valley man convicted of murder for setting up a Bloomington marijuana deal and then hitting and dragging the seller with his SUV while speeding off with the drug was sentenced to 12½ years in prison Tuesday.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
24 Feb. 2026
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More broadly, Lawson over-relies on staticky textures and bottomless reverb, occasionally washing the songs together and dragging the album under the weight of its vibes.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Patients in Minnesota are canceling appointments and deferring critical health care needs because of fear of immigration enforcement as the federal crackdown continues, doctors say.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Just as financial advisors recommend deferring enough into a 401(k) plan to benefit from your employer's full matching contribution, there is no reason to pass this free money up.—
Jessica Dickler,Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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It’s also built specifically for down jackets to keep the fill from poking through.—
Maggie Slepian,
Outside,
27 Feb. 2026
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Coogan was poking fun at tech companies’ impulse to name themselves after myths and parables, even when those myths and cultural artifacts have negative associations.—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Galahadosuchus represents one of the early ancestors of that lineage, and the evolutionary path from upright sprinter to belly-crawling ambush predator is a long one.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 2026
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But Baba’s streets were crawling with ICE proxies during his entire childhood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delaying. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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