Synonyms of delays

delays 1 of 2

noun

plural of delay

as in waits

an instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business

there was a delay for our boarding while the airplane unloaded incoming passengers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• waits
• holdups
• postponements
• pauses
• setbacks
• detentions
• deferrals
• hesitations
• lags
• holding patterns
• holdbacks
• deferments
• slowdowns
• respites
• detainments
• reprieves
• foot-draggings

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rushes
• dispatches
• hastes
• promptitudes

delays

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of delay

1

as in lingers

to move or act slowly

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lingers
• drags
• crawls
• pokes
• lags
• dawdles
• strolls
• marks time
• creeps
• falls behind
• hangs fire
• drops behind
• plays
• shuffles
• loiters
• stalls
• tarries
• lollygags
• mopes
• diddles
• dillydallies
• dallies
• takes one's time
• lounges
• staggers
• shilly-shallies
• drags one's feet
• fools around
• idles
• fiddles (around)
• messes around
• hangs (around or out)
• inches
• potters (around)
• slows (down or up)
• trifles
• putters (around)
• eases
• loafs
• monkeys (around)
• decelerates
• procrastinates
• ambles
• saunters
• temporizes
• plods
• lolls
• lumbers
• filibusters

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tears
• speeds
• courses
• races
• barrels
• hastens
• careers
• hurries
• rushes
• runs
• flies
• rips
• whizzes
• dashes
• whirls
• zips
• hurtles
• rockets
• scurries
• bolts
• whisks
• scrambles
• scoots
• humps
• stampedes
• hustles
• breezes
• darts
• scuds
• bowls
• runs
• accelerates
• sprints
• jogs
• speeds (up)
• hotfoots (it)
• gallops
• trots
• quickens
• overtakes
• outstrips
• outpaces
• outruns
• catches up
• fast-forwards

2

as in postpones

to assign to a later time

our guests delayed their departure until after dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• postpones
• defers
• waits
• shelves
• holds over
• remits
• pauses
• lays over
• slows
• holds off (on)
• suspends
• hesitates
• puts over
• retards
• puts off
• holds up
• prolongs
• lengthens
• stays
• stretches (out)
• detains
• protracts
• extends

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• does
• acts
• works (on)
• deals (with)
• decides (upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of delays

Noun

That includes bringing in physical and cybersecurity assistance for county clerks, mailing ballots earlier to minimize problems from delays, and creating a provision to allow the governor to declare an emergency in case of interference. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2026

The reduction will likely worsen existing delays and exacerbate transit fees, experts say. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

More construction over the weekend means more delays for motorists this weekend. — Kimberly Wright, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Following numerous delays, Robinson’s case finally went to trial in January 2025. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026

Energy grids are struggling to keep pace with AI's demands, with new power projects facing average interconnection delays of 61 months. — Ray Fernandez, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The audit found the programme was already six to 12 months behind schedule because of construction delays and shortages of key components. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026

Everything is squared away now, Price insisted, and there should be no further delays. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Lifeson was tweaking those sounds all through the rehearsals, and Lee didn’t always love the 30-minute delays that could result. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026

Verb

Nearly all report that the process contributes to burnout and delays care. — Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Cellphone use before bed delays the natural drop in cortisol that teenagers need to fall asleep, according to Alice Hoagland, PhD, director of the Insomnia Clinic at the Rochester Regional Sleep Disorder Center. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Aug. 2026

Brooklyn Village delays There’s been two major delays in the past 10 years. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026

If a hotel or event venue delays an update, an attacker may exploit that opening and take control. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026

His isolation is not that of a man locked up in a room but a man who delays going into that room for as long as possible. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026

Along with the tax hike, the agreement settled upon by Newsom and lawmakers last week delays the governor’s plans to cut or freeze Medi-Cal coverage for immigrants without legal status until next summer. — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 8 July 2026

Teplizumab – a form of immunotherapy – binds to immune cells to slow their attack and so delays the need to take insulin by two to three years. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 6 July 2026

As such, Propco must reapply for permits before resuming construction, which delays the project’s completion until the middle of 2027, according to the documents. — Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2026