delaying action

American  

noun

Military.

1. a maneuver in which a defensive force delays the advance of a superior enemy force by withdrawing while inflicting the maximum destruction possible without engaging in decisive combat.

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delaying action British  

noun

1. a measure or measures taken to gain time, as when weaker military forces harass the advance of a superior enemy without coming to a pitched battle

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

delaying action

The walkouts lasted weeks, delaying action on hundreds of bills.

From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2024

"I was put into mediation twice, once on fairly minor grounds and secondly with Lucy Letby herself and it seems to be a way of delaying action and investigating those concerns," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2023

Authors of the report say that timeline “falls far short of protecting groundwater by delaying action until 2040.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2023

He argues that, while accurate data is needed, the search for ever-more-accurate numbers has become a form of delaying action itself.

From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2022

A small force in a covering or delaying action requires very little strength in rear, while a large force fighting a decisive battle requires much.

From Infantry Drill Regulations, United States Army, 1911 Corrected to April 15, 1917 (Changes Nos. 1 to 19) by United States War Department