DELAYING Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

delaying

verb

present participle of delay

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of delaying Hilton proposes to reform the California Environmental Quality Act so that only government prosecutors can sue, preventing private individuals and organizations from stopping or delaying new housing projects. —

Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026 Nearly 40% of calls handled by Sacramento’s emergency medical services system were non-emergencies, tying up ambulances and paramedics, delaying urgent medical responses and adding nearly $5 million in costs to the city, according to a city audit. —

Reeti Malhotra may 29, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026 That means freezing or delaying nonessential program expansions, eliminating duplicative pilots and consultant-heavy projects, and sweeping long-vacant administrative positions. —

Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 29 May 2026 Pre-retirees can help accomplish this goal by delaying their retirement date. —

Steve Vernon, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 The Office of Legislative Audits also found that the Medical Care Programs Administration did not process changes to care plans in a timely manner, possibly delaying care for vulnerable patients. —

Danielle J. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 28 May 2026 Historians have written about how the widespread fear and conformity of these periods reshaped American society in enduring ways, including the destruction of progressive political movements and both delaying and muting the Civil Rights Movement itself. —

Bruce Schneier, The Conversation, 27 May 2026 The more than $500 million in savings from delaying the mandate was first announced in a joint press release from Mamdani and Governor Hochul more than two weeks ago. —

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 27 May 2026 And that could cause localized flash flooding, delaying both ground and air travel. —

Holly Yan, CNN Money, 22 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delaying

Verb

The one question lingering after the Garrett trade was whether or not his addition would lure Rams great Aaron Donald, 35, out of retirement for one last ride.

— Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 9 June 2026
Psychologists have long been interested in why some slights refuse to fade, and how those lingering injuries can settle in — reshaping a person’s thoughts, mood and sense of self over time.

— The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026