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
Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
There were cancellations and delays, with the Department of Transportation cutting flights due to safety concerns.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026
The proposal also establishes more predictable timelines for preparing environmental impact statements, reducing delays and providing greater certainty for both developers and financing partners.
—Carlina Rivera, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Of the flights still on the docket, delays were minimal.
—Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 31 Jan. 2026
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began rolling out the new identification requirements on May 27, 2025, following years of delays.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
The same is true of Williams, which decided last week to skip the Barcelona test altogether due to delays in part production.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
The opening comes just days after the remains of the last hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, 24-year-old police officer Ran Gvili, were returned to Israel on Monday, completing a key pillar of the truce after tensions over delays and accusations of ceasefire violations.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
Burkina Faso is among a growing number of countries in West and Central Africa that have seen a surge in coups and delays to the return of democratic rule.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
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
The Wednesday order delays the significant increase, leaving tariffs on these goods at 25% for the time being.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026
Bespoke itineraries are front-loaded to allow flexibility—if weather delays a glacier helicopter tour, it can be swapped with grizzly bear spotting.
—Katie Nanton, Travel + Leisure, 30 Dec. 2025
Grid delays slow renewables uptake Countries are racing to install renewable energy capacity, but have failed to build the electrical-grid infrastructure to support it.
—semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
Although this hasn’t been studied formally, observations have found that stone or concrete baths, which have been used for centuries, store some heat, which delays freezing—especially when the baths are placed in a sunny location.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2025
Find a full list of Baltimore area delays below.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025
The bill delays Duke Energy’s interim 2030 carbon reduction goals and allows the company to charge rate-payers for new power plants before they’re built.
—Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
Noun
Snow cancellations and delays may be nothing new for the Northeast, but this weekend, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida were among the states that have seen big events canceled or postponed due to frigid temperatures.
—Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
There were cancellations and delays, with the Department of Transportation cutting flights due to safety concerns.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2026
The proposal also establishes more predictable timelines for preparing environmental impact statements, reducing delays and providing greater certainty for both developers and financing partners.
—Carlina Rivera, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Of the flights still on the docket, delays were minimal.
—Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 31 Jan. 2026
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began rolling out the new identification requirements on May 27, 2025, following years of delays.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
The same is true of Williams, which decided last week to skip the Barcelona test altogether due to delays in part production.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
The opening comes just days after the remains of the last hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, 24-year-old police officer Ran Gvili, were returned to Israel on Monday, completing a key pillar of the truce after tensions over delays and accusations of ceasefire violations.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026
Burkina Faso is among a growing number of countries in West and Central Africa that have seen a surge in coups and delays to the return of democratic rule.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
The Wednesday order delays the significant increase, leaving tariffs on these goods at 25% for the time being.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026
Bespoke itineraries are front-loaded to allow flexibility—if weather delays a glacier helicopter tour, it can be swapped with grizzly bear spotting.
—Katie Nanton, Travel + Leisure, 30 Dec. 2025
Grid delays slow renewables uptake Countries are racing to install renewable energy capacity, but have failed to build the electrical-grid infrastructure to support it.
—semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
Although this hasn’t been studied formally, observations have found that stone or concrete baths, which have been used for centuries, store some heat, which delays freezing—especially when the baths are placed in a sunny location.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2025
Find a full list of Baltimore area delays below.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025
The bill delays Duke Energy’s interim 2030 carbon reduction goals and allows the company to charge rate-payers for new power plants before they’re built.
—Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delays
Noun
-
Riders should expect fewer trains, longer waits and delays across the system.—
Elijah Westbrook,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
During a winter storm last January, TSA in Atlanta saw major staffing callouts that cascaded into hourslong security waits as some officers were not able to safely get to work.—
Savannah Sicurella,
AJC.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Nearly every sound lingers like an unanswered question, and the scant bass drums that appear in most tracks are less for keeping time than providing anchor points in an inestimable nebula.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Drought lingers statewide, and Monroe’s water supply is down to about six months, officials said in an online statement Wednesday.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
At best, the push postpones the cross-medium renaissance Hollywood has been predicting for more than 30 years.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Dec. 2025
-
Jeff Bezos' company postpones New Glenn launch New Glenn was fueled up and vertical on the launch pad ahead of an impending launch before Blue Origin ultimately called it off about 90 minutes after the window opened.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The scenes that work less well and seem virtually superfluous are those with Kumail Nanjiani as Adeel, an environmental activist who drags Aaron along with him to break into a fracking site that is disturbing the breeding ground of…the sage grouse.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The agent sprays Pretti with a chemical irritant and drags him to his knees as Pretti pulls at the backpack of the other bystander, potentially reaching for a water bottle.—
Thomas Bordeaux,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
After winning the coin toss, FIU opted to receive the kickoff — a rare move by Simmons, who usually defers and takes the ball to start the second half.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
30 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
John Tufts The weather outside is about to get frightful as a potentially dangerous winter storm crawls its way across the country.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
23 Jan. 2026
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In the video, the coyote crawls out of the water and struggles to get his footing once on the rocks.—
Amanda Hari,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Partnerships deserve thoughtfulness as romantic Venus pokes jolly Jupiter, activating your 7th House of Connections and your 12th House of Karma.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Is every head that pokes in to look at me actually Frank himself?—
Shane Kowalski,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Whether this metric precedes or lags behind other flu measurements such as ER visits is still an open research question, Perl said.—
William Tong,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But behind the power of personal style is an industry where representation still lags far behind influence.—
Essence,
Essence,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delays. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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