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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of delays
De'anthony Taylor, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2026
How soon will this help with airport delays?
—John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Yet session after session, the result has been the same — agencies receive their annual appropriations, public outrage over long security lines and flight delays fades, legislation languishes and workers have no guarantees their paychecks won't stop coming again.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Filing inaccurate information on a tax return can trigger refund delays, audits, penalties or even criminal charges.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Pistole said the uncertainty, coupled with TSA’s typical annual attrition rate of about 7%, could mean delays will continue even after pay resumes.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
But some travel insurance policies won't cover a flight missed due to TSA delays.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
The waiver process has caused construction delays and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra costs as the country faces an affordable housing crisis.
—Charlotte Kramon, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Drivers were advised to plan for potential detours and delays.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2026
But having firefighters wait before starting preparations also delays when they can be dispatched to emergencies, which has lengthened response times — and has likely cost many lives across the city, the 60-page audit says.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
With annuals like snapdragons, removing flower stalks delays the formation of seed production and the plants send out more shoots.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.
—Lauran Neergaard, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Asian stocks tanked as the war in Iran entered its fifth day, with investors dumping crowded positions in chipmakers on worries that the conflict will drive an oil shock that raises inflation and delays interest rate cuts.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
The investment committee approved the change on Tuesday, which also delays Maersk’s job development investment grant.
—Brian Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
What happens if the city delays?
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
This time, however, travelers are already facing long lines and delays due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has left thousands of TSA workers without pay.
—De'anthony Taylor, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2026
How soon will this help with airport delays?
—John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Yet session after session, the result has been the same — agencies receive their annual appropriations, public outrage over long security lines and flight delays fades, legislation languishes and workers have no guarantees their paychecks won't stop coming again.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Filing inaccurate information on a tax return can trigger refund delays, audits, penalties or even criminal charges.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Pistole said the uncertainty, coupled with TSA’s typical annual attrition rate of about 7%, could mean delays will continue even after pay resumes.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
But some travel insurance policies won't cover a flight missed due to TSA delays.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
The waiver process has caused construction delays and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra costs as the country faces an affordable housing crisis.
—Charlotte Kramon, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Drivers were advised to plan for potential detours and delays.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
That delays emptying of the stomach.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2026
But having firefighters wait before starting preparations also delays when they can be dispatched to emergencies, which has lengthened response times — and has likely cost many lives across the city, the 60-page audit says.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
With annuals like snapdragons, removing flower stalks delays the formation of seed production and the plants send out more shoots.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.
—Lauran Neergaard, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Asian stocks tanked as the war in Iran entered its fifth day, with investors dumping crowded positions in chipmakers on worries that the conflict will drive an oil shock that raises inflation and delays interest rate cuts.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
The investment committee approved the change on Tuesday, which also delays Maersk’s job development investment grant.
—Brian Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026
What happens if the city delays?
—Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delays
Noun
-
Comfort can be hard to find in the past month, as the partial government shutdown has more and more TSA agents calling out of work, leading to long waits to get through security.—
Madeline Montgomery,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Some families have described poor food and long waits for medical attention.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dogs run freely in the green meadows and forests, where the smell of cooking fires lingers in the air and cottonwood seeds blanket dirt roads crisscrossing the site.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Ocean carriers have largely dropped their plans to return to the Red Sea as the conflict lingers.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, the sentencing for the teenager falls under a process known as Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile, which postpones an adult sentence until his 21st birthday.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Discord postpones age verification Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, is postponing its controversial age verification policy after receiving swift backlash from users with concerns about their privacy.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Transportation Security Administration may have to shut down operations at some airports if the budget impasse drags on, the agency’s acting head said Wednesday, even as record wait times for travelers did little to end the standoff over the funding fight in Congress.—
Kevin Freking,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Taipei is particularly concerned that as the Middle East conflict drags on, American forces are depleting their stockpile of long-range cruise missiles that would be critical to repel a Chinese assault on Taiwan, the Financial Times reported.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
24 Mar. 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
-
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
-
The Shops at Yale recently announced the return of the New Haven food crawls and have added a date in December, according to a statement.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In April, ruby-red paintbrush pokes out of the ground, and in late summer, vibrant yellow rabbitbrush flowers join the mix.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The nurturing Moon pokes Mars today, drawing attention to your 2nd House of Objects and your 11th House of Groups.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While baseball lags the NFL, in part because MLB takes in far less money in national TV rights deals, its franchise values are growing, too, with the average team up 12% this year alone.—
Luisa Beltran,
Sportico.com,
18 Mar. 2026
-
However, at present, actually observed AI usage in these areas lags far behind the theoretical potential.—
Essence,
Essence,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delays. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
