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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in lingers
to move or act slowly
she ordered the kids to stop delaying and to get to bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in postpones
to assign to a later time
our guests delayed their departure until after dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of delays
Max Saltman, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.
—ABC News, 14 Feb. 2026
Experts say flight delays also are a possibility even though air traffic controllers are not affected by the Homeland Security Department shutdown.
—Rio Yamat, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Randall Bryant, the DART Board chair, said the rail project faced more than a year of delays caused by city actions, including insisting on a more expensive site for the pump station.
—Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
However, delays hounded construction.
—Larry Seward, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
In practice, too many veterans face delays and confusion.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Under state law, there is a 14-day pre-eviction notice required for nonpayment of rent, which delays the impact.
—Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
The association warned that any operational disruption that delays shipments exposes exporters to immediate financial losses and the risk of losing future orders.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 5 Feb. 2026
This practice erodes programming, delays medical care, and increases fatigue and safety risks for everyone inside federal prisons.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Nuisance Bear immerses viewers in the experience of a polar bear forced to navigate tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as climate change delays the freeze and pushes bears closer to human settlements.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Defenses applied the same concepts, too, emphasizing full-court pressure, which delays the opposing attack.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
The order specifically delays a 30% duty on upholstered furniture and 50% levy on kitchen cabinets and vanities, keeping in place a 25% tariff on those goods that was imposed back in September.
—Sean Conlon,fred Imbert, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
Noun
Yet the buyback program has suffered yearslong delays and pushback from police, provincial officials and gun owners.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.
—ABC News, 14 Feb. 2026
Experts say flight delays also are a possibility even though air traffic controllers are not affected by the Homeland Security Department shutdown.
—Rio Yamat, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Randall Bryant, the DART Board chair, said the rail project faced more than a year of delays caused by city actions, including insisting on a more expensive site for the pump station.
—Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
However, delays hounded construction.
—Larry Seward, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
In practice, too many veterans face delays and confusion.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
This mistake not only holds up your travel plans, but also delays passengers behind you as TSA officers search through your carry-on.
—Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Under state law, there is a 14-day pre-eviction notice required for nonpayment of rent, which delays the impact.
—Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Board member Nicole Gribstad also urged the committee to include an option that delays such a decision and exhausts all other financial alternatives before closing schools.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
The association warned that any operational disruption that delays shipments exposes exporters to immediate financial losses and the risk of losing future orders.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 5 Feb. 2026
This practice erodes programming, delays medical care, and increases fatigue and safety risks for everyone inside federal prisons.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Nuisance Bear immerses viewers in the experience of a polar bear forced to navigate tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as climate change delays the freeze and pushes bears closer to human settlements.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Defenses applied the same concepts, too, emphasizing full-court pressure, which delays the opposing attack.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
The order specifically delays a 30% duty on upholstered furniture and 50% levy on kitchen cabinets and vanities, keeping in place a 25% tariff on those goods that was imposed back in September.
—Sean Conlon,fred Imbert, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delays
Noun
-
Back on opening day of the ride, all went well for a couple of hours, then stoppages led to 300-minute waits.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But on Monday, attendance was strong, with the NPS reporting overflowing parking lots and long waits for shuttle services.—
Danielle Kaeding,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Veloso’s imagery is one that lingers long after the film credits have rolled.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
-
What lingers is that image of Powell in the beanie.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At a Friday court hearing for the family’s asylum case, a judge granted a continuance, which postpones the case to a later date, family attorney Danielle Molliver told CNN.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
At best, the push postpones the cross-medium renaissance Hollywood has been predicting for more than 30 years.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
As the crisis drags on, life is slowly grinding to a halt across this island of nearly 10 million people.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Airlines and travel trade groups say the funding lapse is raising concerns about staffing levels at security checkpoints and the risk of operational disruptions if the shutdown drags on, as roughly 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers work without pay.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Depending on how long the renter defers part of the payment, Livble’s fees can translate into effective annual percentage rates of roughly 104% to 139%.—
Ken Sweet,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
One amendment to the bill adding new zoning categories defers its effective date to April 5, which Johnston said was meant to give the Planning Department enough time to put together and disseminate the map.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Ma crawls toward you and plants her palms on your cheeks.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Amazon also strikes a nerve with an ad starring Chris Hemsworth that pokes fun of people’s fears of AI.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Cucurella lands on the rebound and pokes in.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Since then, more than 400 people have been released, according to rights group Foro Penal, though the tally lags official claims of over 800.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Michigan lags When Whitmer first called for a ban on smartphones in the classroom during her 2025 State of the State address, nine states had already adopted school cellphone bans of some kind.—
Jordyn Hermani,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delays. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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