1
a
: a supply (as of horses) arranged beforehand for successive relief
b
: a number of persons who relieve others in some work
worked in relays around the clock
2
a
: a race between teams in which each team member successively covers a specified portion of the course
b
: one of the divisions of a relay
3
: an electromagnetic device for remote or automatic control that is actuated by variation in conditions of an electric circuit and that operates in turn other devices (such as switches) in the same or a different circuit
4
5
: the act of passing along (something, such as a message or ball) by stages
also
: one of such stages
relayed; relaying
1
a
: to place or dispose in relays
b
: to provide with relays
2
: to pass along by relays
news was relayed to distant points
3
: to control or operate by a relay
relaid
(ˌ)rē-ˈlād 
; relaying
; relaying
: to lay again
relay track
Examples of relay in a Sentence
Noun
Our relay team is training for next weekend's race.
a satellite relay of a television signal
We set up a relay to carry buckets of water to the campsite.
They worked in relays to clear the rubble.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
Students participated in a relay race to the ballot box, a mock election with sample 2024 ballots, and a tug of war meant to illustrate how the number of people on each side can sway the outcome of a contest.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2024
Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
The most effective way to request a curbside ballot is to bring someone along to the polling location who can go inside the building, or flag down a fellow voter who could relay the request to staff inside.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for relay 
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Noun
After the ballots are encrypted and uploaded into the space station’s on-board computer system, they are routed through a tracking and data relay satellite to a ground antenna at the NASA White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
Students participated in a relay race to the ballot box, a mock election with sample 2024 ballots, and a tug of war meant to illustrate how the number of people on each side can sway the outcome of a contest.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
This means these satellites would be able to relay data to Earth and other spacecraft across vast stretches of space, likely through Starlink's laser communication system.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
The most effective way to request a curbside ballot is to bring someone along to the polling location who can go inside the building, or flag down a fellow voter who could relay the request to staff inside.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for relay
Dictionary Entries Near relay
Cite this Entry
“Relay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relay. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
relay
1 of 3 noun
re·lay
ˈrē-ˌlā
1
: a fresh supply (as of horses or people) arranged to relieve others
2
a
: a race between teams in which each team member covers an assigned part of the course
b
: one of the divisions of a relay
3
: an electromagnetic device in which the opening or closing of one circuit operates another device (as a switch in another circuit)
4
: the act of passing along (as a message or a ball) by stages
also
: one of such stages
the shortstop's relay from center field was too late to catch the runner
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