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

"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

The consensus was that "the cost of delaying action was larger than the benefit of waiting," the BoC said.

From Reuters • Jul. 26, 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

We learned it was senseless to fight a war that you are unable to win, unless the delaying action could permit an Allied victory elsewhere.

From Blood Brothers A Medic's Sketch Book by Rohlfing, Sam