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
Noe Padilla, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Police have asked those traveling around the area to plan for delays and try alternative routes if possible.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
That could mean fewer delays at the gate.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Only one infant had developmental delays.
—Duaa Eldeib, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus are struggling with production delays and engine shortages, which means fewer available seats overall.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 8 May 2026
These tubes are the cause of the frequent delays in the 200,000 daily trips made under the Hudson.
—Tom Wright, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
The 45-mile Delta Conveyance tunnel, which would funnel water via the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farms and cities in Southern California, has been beset by delays due to litigation over environmental concerns and other regulatory challenges.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
Some other research suggests that students of color and girls experience significant delays in receiving autism diagnoses.
—Paul L. Morgan, The Conversation, 8 May 2026
Keerti Gopal, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Copy-on-write is an optimization technique where a system delays making a separate copy of data until it is actually changed.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Doctors and patients have long criticized prior authorizations, saying in surveys and government oversight reports that the practice routinely delays or denies care.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Roots planted in cold conditions will remain inactive, says Phillips, which delays flowering, while those planted in the heat of summer are more susceptible to transplant shock, leaf scorch, and heat stress.
—Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 5 May 2026
Developers often struggle to hire workers, which delays home construction and further increases prices.
—Maxwell Harden, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Avoiding the conversation only delays the inevitable.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Frey vetoed the ordinance, arguing that an eviction pause does not actually provide relief and only delays an inevitable problem.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The plan also maintains full scope Medi-Cal for asylees and other immigrant groups who were cut out of Medicaid by the federal government and delays Medi-Cal premiums for undocumented immigrants that would otherwise begin on July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2028.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
Porter focused on cutting bureaucracy, calling for a single statewide development permit to streamline approvals and reduce delays.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Police have asked those traveling around the area to plan for delays and try alternative routes if possible.
—Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
That could mean fewer delays at the gate.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Only one infant had developmental delays.
—Duaa Eldeib, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus are struggling with production delays and engine shortages, which means fewer available seats overall.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 8 May 2026
These tubes are the cause of the frequent delays in the 200,000 daily trips made under the Hudson.
—Tom Wright, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
The 45-mile Delta Conveyance tunnel, which would funnel water via the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farms and cities in Southern California, has been beset by delays due to litigation over environmental concerns and other regulatory challenges.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
Some other research suggests that students of color and girls experience significant delays in receiving autism diagnoses.
—Paul L. Morgan, The Conversation, 8 May 2026
Verb
As climate change delays the first winter frosts across much of North America, summer ragweed also keeps flowering longer, extending the latter part of pollen season into the fall, said David Wees, a faculty lecturer in horticulture at McGill University in Montreal.
—Keerti Gopal, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Copy-on-write is an optimization technique where a system delays making a separate copy of data until it is actually changed.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Doctors and patients have long criticized prior authorizations, saying in surveys and government oversight reports that the practice routinely delays or denies care.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 6 May 2026
Roots planted in cold conditions will remain inactive, says Phillips, which delays flowering, while those planted in the heat of summer are more susceptible to transplant shock, leaf scorch, and heat stress.
—Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 5 May 2026
Developers often struggle to hire workers, which delays home construction and further increases prices.
—Maxwell Harden, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Avoiding the conversation only delays the inevitable.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Frey vetoed the ordinance, arguing that an eviction pause does not actually provide relief and only delays an inevitable problem.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
The plan also maintains full scope Medi-Cal for asylees and other immigrant groups who were cut out of Medicaid by the federal government and delays Medi-Cal premiums for undocumented immigrants that would otherwise begin on July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2028.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delays
Noun
-
The study examined more than 140,000 reviews from 147 DMVs across 30 major cities, the report says, looking for keywords related to long waits and bad service in reviews with three or fewer stars.—
Eva Flowe
May 12,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
-
And while many potential riders who spoke with The Times this week echoed that enthusiasm, most also mentioned some reservations, including feeling cautious about potentially long waits at night or ongoing concerns about public safety.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The filmmaker rarely lingers, making brief moments of grace — like Gabrielle peeking in at her mom and stepdad taking a nap — all the more resonant for their evanescence.—
Jon Frosch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
Warmer and more humid weather moves in on Friday and lingers through the weekend.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The Defense secretary said the ceasefire postpones the deadline for securing such approval.—
Ben Finley,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This is equally true of society, and disregarding this truth only postpones the moment of reckoning.—
Alec Nevala-Lee,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Analysts have repeatedly warned that if the war drags on and supply chains are disrupted for long enough, prices for gas and a range of other goods could continue to climb.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Our older cat has no interest in them whatsoever, but our newest baby, Pip, drags his all around the house.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Postponing elections thus also defers possibilities for political transformation.—
Jasmin Lilian Diab,
The Conversation,
5 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Think about how often your toddler crawls near the dog bed or your kids toss pet toys around the living room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In the book, Grace drags Rocky back to his part of the ship, exposing himself to the Eridian environment; in the film, Rocky crawls back while Grace is unconscious.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kym is the family fuckup and a guilty party to its biggest tragedy but also constantly pokes the bear as its selfish verbal assassin.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Instead, the robot simply pokes through it.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since Musk filed the lawsuit, Altman has insisted that Musk is only after revenge, supposedly stemming from his jealousy that he was not picked as OpenAI’s CEO and that his rival company, xAI, now lags behind.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
-
Funding lags behind comparable Maryland jurisdictions.—
Nick Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delays. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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