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

Californians have kept our end of that bargain, but insurance companies have broken their side of the promise by denying, delaying and underpaying valid claims and dropping coverage. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

The tool has been blamed by doctors and patients for delaying necessary care. — Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2026

At the time, Kemp disagreed with delaying the work but acknowledged that drawing voting districts was the Legislature's responsibility. — CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

But vote counting in Maine and Alaska could take days, delaying a determination of which party will prevail. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026

Koch said DuPont now expects some large water projects planned for the second half of this year to be pushed out into 2027 — delaying about $15 million in sales. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026

Antoine Rashad Polite, 35, of Sacramento, was charged with obstructing and delaying mail delivery, federal prosecutors announced Monday in a news release. — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026

But service reliability doesn’t happen by accident or by delaying projects and investments. — H. Russell Frisby, Baltimore Sun, 2 Nov. 2026

Opaque foam boards covered the windows, blocking sightlines and delaying evacuation. — Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026