Synonyms of delaying

delaying

verb

present participle of delay

1

as in lingering

to move or act slowly

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lingering
• dragging
• poking
• crawling
• stalling
• creeping
• lagging
• strolling
• playing
• dawdling
• loitering
• shuffling
• tarrying
• falling behind
• diddling
• dropping behind
• hanging fire
• marking time
• lollygagging
• moping
• dillydallying
• dallying
• idling
• lounging
• staggering
• shilly-shallying
• taking one's time
• dragging one's feet
• trifling
• fiddling (around)
• loafing
• hanging (around or out)
• inching
• fooling around
• puttering (around)
• decelerating
• sauntering
• pottering (around)
• easing
• messing around
• ambling
• procrastinating
• monkeying (around)
• temporizing
• slowing (down or up)
• lolling
• filibustering
• plodding
• lumbering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hastening
• hurrying
• rushing
• tearing
• speeding
• running
• flying
• ripping
• racing
• scurrying
• bolting
• dashing
• whirling
• barreling
• zipping
• whizzing
• coursing
• whisking
• scrambling
• scooting
• rocketing
• careering
• scudding
• darting
• hustling
• hurtling
• running
• accelerating
• stampeding
• humping
• breezing
• bowling
• galloping
• sprinting
• trotting
• jogging
• quickening
• hotfooting (it)
• speeding (up)
• overtaking
• outstripping
• outrunning
• outpacing
• catching up
• fast-forwarding

2

as in postponing

to assign to a later time

our guests delayed their departure until after dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• postponing
• deferring
• waiting
• shelving
• holding over
• remitting
• suspending
• putting off
• hesitating
• slowing
• holding off (on)
• putting over
• pausing
• prolonging
• laying over
• retarding
• lengthening
• holding up
• staying
• detaining
• stretching (out)
• extending
• protracting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• doing
• working (on)
• acting
• dealing (with)
• deciding (upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of delaying

In addition to suspending operations on the four existing cameras, the village is delaying installation of the other eight until concerns are addressed. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026

While researchers have made tremendous headway in diagnosing the disease early and delaying symptom onset, a cure remains elusive, and a detailed understanding of the mechanisms behind the disease still has too many gaps. — Mike McRae 10, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026

Tulloch, who came over from Thinking Machine Labs, has been delaying his departure until the company successfully launched its new family of open source AI models and AI assistant, Muse, which was announced Tuesday. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026

The moderating influence of the surrounding Great Lakes often keeps coastal and southern areas warmer, delaying the seasonal breakdown of chlorophyll that reveals the classic yellows, oranges and reds. — Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

On Wednesday, government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici said Moldova had closed its airspace on Tuesday afternoon to protect aircraft flying over the country at the time, delaying three departures, including the one carrying Zelenskyy. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026

In practice, this could mean shorter irrigation cycles during extreme heat, delaying fertigation when uptake is low or adjusting nutrition by crop stage instead of applying one program across the season. — Gaby Miodownik, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Rural leaders will probably follow the urban practice of ensuring community input – as required by Congress – before allowing tax-delaying investments by wealthy financial backers. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026

In a 2022 One Earth study of more than 47,000 people across 68 countries, researcher Kelton Minor and colleagues found that warmer nighttime temperatures shorten sleep, mostly by delaying when people fall asleep. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026