delay

1 of 2

noun

de·​lay di-ˈlā How to pronounce delay (audio)
dē-
Synonyms of delaynext
1
a
: the act of postponing, hindering, or causing something to occur more slowly than normal : the state of being delayed
get started without delay
b
: an instance of being delayed
apologized for the delay
a rain delay
2
: the time during which something is delayed
waited out a delay of 30 minutes

delay

2 of 2

verb

delayed; delaying; delays

transitive verb

1
: put off, postpone
delay a departure
They're delaying marriage or, increasingly, not getting married at all …—Irin Carmon
2
: to stop, detain, or hinder for a time
The mails were delayed by heavy snows.
… issued executive orders delaying the release of records from Ronald Reagan's administration …—Editor & Publisher
3
: to cause to be slower or to occur more slowly than normal
delay a child's development
… a drug that not only can extend life by delaying the onset of aging-related diseases …—Bill Gifford

intransitive verb

: to move or act slowly
This offer ends soon, so don't delay.
delayed in responding to my message
also : to cause delay
delayer noun

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for delay

delay, retard, slow, slacken, detain mean to cause to be late or behind in movement or progress.

delay implies a holding back, usually by interference, from completion or arrival.

bad weather delayed our arrival

retard suggests reduction of speed without actual stopping.

treatment that retards tumor growth

slow and slacken also imply a reduction of speed, slow often suggesting deliberate intention

she closed her eyes and slowed her breathing

, slacken an easing up or relaxing of power or effort.

on hot days runners slacken their pace

detain implies a holding back beyond a reasonable or appointed time.

unexpected business had detained her

delay, procrastinate, lag, loiter, dawdle, dally mean to move or act slowly so as to fall behind.

delay usually implies a putting off of something (such as a beginning or departure).

we cannot delay any longer

procrastinate implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.

procrastinates about making decisions

lag implies failure to maintain a speed set by others.

lagging behind in technology

loiter and dawdle imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, but dawdle more clearly suggests an aimless wasting of time.

loitered at several store windows
children dawdling on their way home from school

dally suggests delay through trifling or vacillation when promptness is necessary.

stop dallying and get to work

Examples of delay in a Sentence

Noun Do you know what's causing the delay? a number of flight delays After months of delay, construction on the new school began. Airline travelers are experiencing delays of up to three hours. Verb The doctor wants to delay surgery for a few weeks. She's planning to delay her retirement. He delayed too long, and now it's too late. “Don't delay! Sale ends Saturday.” Production problems delayed the introduction of the new model by several months.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Nvidia previously faced production and shipping delays for Blackwell due to a design flaw, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said in October, after media reports surfaced in August. —Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024 The latest: Travelers heading out of the airport should expect delays on North Harbor Drive near West Laurel Street/Anchor Island this week. —Kate Murphy, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
In a 2023 lawsuit, 20 patients alleged doctors delayed or denied medically-necessary care out of confusion and fear of the penalties for violating the law, which include loss of medical license, fines of $100,000 or more and sentences of up to life in prison. —Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024 The award had been delayed because none of the nominees under consideration in 1921 was found to have met the criteria. 1923: Alice Coachman, the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal, was born in Albany, Georgia. —Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for delay 

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French delaier, from de- + laier to leave, from lai-, present and future stem of lesser, laisser to leave, from Latin laxare to slacken, from laxus loose — more at slack

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of delay was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing delay

Dictionary Entries Near delay

De La Warr

delay

DeLay

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Delay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delay. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

delay

1 of 2 noun
de·​lay di-ˈlā How to pronounce delay (audio)
1
: the act of delaying : the state of being delayed
start without delay
2
: the time during which something is delayed
a delay of 30 minutes

delay

2 of 2 verb
1
: postpone, put off
delay a trip
2
: to stop, detain, or hinder for a time
delayed by a storm
3
: to move or act slowly
delayer noun

Biographical Definition

DeLay

biographical name

De·​Lay di-ˈlā How to pronounce DeLay (audio)
Thomas (Dale) 1947–     American politician

More from Merriam-Webster on delay

Nglish: Translation of delay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of delay for Arabic Speakers

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