delayed-action

American  

[dih-leyd-ak-shuhn] / dɪˈleɪdˈæk ʃən /

Also delay-action

adjective

1. (of an explosive projectile) exploding some time after hitting the target.

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delayed action British  

noun

1. 1. a device for operating a mechanism, such as a camera shutter, a short time after setting

   2. ( as modifier )

      a delayed-action fuse

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Etymology

Origin of delayed-action

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

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

Even seemingly harmless medications sometimes turn out to be delayed-action disasters.

From Time Magazine Archive

For photographs taken in the sunlight, Dad had a delayed-action release that allowed him to click the camera and then run and get into the picture himself before the shutter was released.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey