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

And more people are entering the system than leaving it, delaying help for newly homeless families. — Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2026

Though profits and revenue growth have generally been strong this year, the IPO market has stalled, with Oura and Bamboo Insurance delaying their offerings last month. — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

The technology that investors and governments are counting on to lift the global economy is also adding pressure that threatens growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund said, urging policymakers to stop delaying painful choices on debt. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Households already facing budget strains—including rising costs of rent, groceries, and fuel—are already delaying technology purchases until prices come down in the US, the CTA reported. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

Attorneys for the country music icon’s estate claimed Seaver covered his front porch in barbed wire and yellow caution tape, thus delaying the formal delivery of the suit. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 6 Oct. 2026

But AGs led by California’s Rob Bonta did make the deal more costly, delaying the close by several months in a period of rising interest rates. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

According to researchers, a combination of emissions from wildfires, long-term ozone effects and climate change impacts is likely delaying progress. — Dan Peck, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

In addition to delaying missile shipments to Tokyo and withdrawing its aircraft carrier from the region, the United States has scaled back or canceled joint military exercises with South Korea. — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026