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
The federal government shut down Wednesday, delaying pay for federal workers (of whom there are 25,000 in Indiana), placing question marks on the financial health of federal aid programs like SNAP and WIC, and causing mass confusion and limbo in immigration court.
—
Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 3 Oct. 2025
Staffing challenges – either at the local level, at the federal level or both – also could play a significant role in delaying interactions between the CDC and local health departments.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
About one in six parents reported delaying or skipping vaccines (excluding seasonal flu and COVID-19), often citing safety concerns or distrust.
—Suhail Bhat, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Research suggests a few potential culprits, including environmental elements (like endocrine-disrupting chemicals used in products and packaging) and lifestyle factors, like broad trends toward being more sedentary and delaying having kids.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 1 Oct. 2025
Prosecutors allege that Hartsfield, an Army veteran, used her husband’s diabetes to cover up a homicide, allegedly injecting him with dangerous amounts of insulin and delaying calling 911 for several hours.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Host Jimmy Kimmel milked the moment, delaying confirming that their answer was correct for a very tense minute.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
Boys may experience greater benefits from delaying their start date compared to girls, said Ioakim Boutakidis, professor of child and adolescent studies at Cal State Fullerton.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Facing strong pushback from Cassidy and other critics last week, the ACIP decided to postpone a vote on a proposal to recommend delaying the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine until an infant is at least 1 month old.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 24 Sep. 2025
Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 3 Oct. 2025
Staffing challenges – either at the local level, at the federal level or both – also could play a significant role in delaying interactions between the CDC and local health departments.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
About one in six parents reported delaying or skipping vaccines (excluding seasonal flu and COVID-19), often citing safety concerns or distrust.
—Suhail Bhat, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Research suggests a few potential culprits, including environmental elements (like endocrine-disrupting chemicals used in products and packaging) and lifestyle factors, like broad trends toward being more sedentary and delaying having kids.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 1 Oct. 2025
Prosecutors allege that Hartsfield, an Army veteran, used her husband’s diabetes to cover up a homicide, allegedly injecting him with dangerous amounts of insulin and delaying calling 911 for several hours.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Host Jimmy Kimmel milked the moment, delaying confirming that their answer was correct for a very tense minute.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
Boys may experience greater benefits from delaying their start date compared to girls, said Ioakim Boutakidis, professor of child and adolescent studies at Cal State Fullerton.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Facing strong pushback from Cassidy and other critics last week, the ACIP decided to postpone a vote on a proposal to recommend delaying the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine until an infant is at least 1 month old.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delaying
Verb
-
Some analysts predict the measures could push Tehran to take a tougher nuclear stance, but the lingering threat of US and Israeli attacks gives Iran’s leaders limited strategic flexibility.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Miss Molly still lives on, lingering at the foot of guest’s bed.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sharon eventually canceled the farewell tour after repeatedly postponing the dates, and Ozzy continued to steadily deteriorate.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Consider postponing boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The move ended with Gravenberch dragging the Galatasaray forward down outside the box and receiving a yellow card.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Last week in Chicago, federal agents descended in a Blackhawk to clear out an entire apt complex, dragging children out of their beds and zip-tying residents for hours without articulating any probable cause.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Had Darnold not crumbled in the postseason, re-signing him to a multi-year deal and deferring McCarthy to a three-year development plan would have been reasonable.—
Trevor Squire,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Cox also called for unity in hopes of deferring political violence.—
Lee Ann Anderson,
The Hill,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The first meetup drew dozens of participants poking at pudding cups together.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The underground pop of the 2010s used to get so excited about being online, using shrinky-dink artifice to delight in poking fun at a culture that could feel shallow and strange but also organic and endlessly renewable.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And there's these little worms crawling around.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
8 Oct. 2025
-
This cute crawling crab toy is 44% off and is the perfect toy for encouraging movement and exploration.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Delaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delaying. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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