First recorded in 1890–95
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a delayed-action scenario, debt in 2050-51 would be 23% of GDP higher than in the early-action scenario, it said.
From Reuters ● Jul. 6, 2021
One person close to the family described her influence as a delayed-action fuse: at times the president will mention a point Ms. Trump made, uncredited, days later.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2017
Where the arrangements solidify, they often use Pink Floyd’s techniques, including delayed-action drumbeats and gleaming keyboard tones that chime in while a power chord reverberates.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2009
But the delayed-action mines used to seal off North Vietnamese ports last week are considerably more complex.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dad set up a still camera on a tripod, connected the delayed-action attachment, and took a series of pictures showing us lowering the coffin into the grave and covering it with sand.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Prosecutors said Gonzales then delayed action, waiting on the east side of the school for backup and more cover as gunshots sounded and he relayed the shooter’s location on his radio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
However, some experts argue that the FDA’s delayed action on Red No. 3 highlights larger systemic issues.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2025
Then political, financial and technical problems delayed action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
This delayed action presents a major problem today as we threaten other global limits.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 2, 2024
Conditions were seldom ideal, for the delayed action release was unreliable.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
