Showing results for "relay"

• a variation of re-lay.

relay

¹ American  

[ree-lay, ree-lay, ri-lay] / ˈri leɪ, ˈri leɪ, rɪˈleɪ /

noun

• relays
  plural

1. 

   a series of persons relieving one another or taking turns; shift.

2. a fresh set of dogs or horses posted in readiness for use in a hunt, on a journey, etc.

3. Sports.

   1. relay race.

   2. a length or leg in a relay race.

4. Machinery. an automatic control device in which the settings of valves, switches, etc., are regulated by a powered element, as a motor, solenoid, or pneumatic mechanism actuated by a smaller, sensitive element.

5. Electricity. a device, usually consisting of an electromagnet and an armature, by which a change of current or voltage in one circuit is used to make or break a connection in another circuit or to affect the operation of other devices in the same or another circuit.

6. (initial capital letter) one of an early series of experimental low-altitude, active communications satellites.

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verb (used with object)

relayed, relaying

1. to carry forward by or as if by relays.

   to relay a message.

2. to provide with or replace by fresh relays.

3. Electricity. to retransmit (a signal, message, etc.) by or as if by means of a telegraphic relay.

verb (used without object)

relayed, relaying

1. Electricity. to retransmit a signal or message electronically.

relay ² American  

[ree-lay] / riˈleɪ /

verb (used with object)

relaid, relaying

1. re-lay.

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relay British  

noun

1. a person or team of people relieving others, as on a shift

2. a fresh team of horses, dogs, etc, posted at intervals along a route to relieve others

3. the act of relaying or process of being relayed

4. 1. short for relay race

   2. one of the sections of a relay race

5. an automatic device that controls the setting of a valve, switch, etc, by means of an electric motor, solenoid, or pneumatic mechanism

6. electronics an electrical device in which a small change in current or voltage controls the switching on or off of circuits or other devices

7. radio

   1. a combination of a receiver and transmitter designed to receive radio signals and retransmit them, in order to extend their range

   2. ( as modifier )

      a relay station

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verb

1. to carry or spread (something, such as news or information) by relays

2. to supply or replace with relays

3. to retransmit (a signal) by means of a relay

4. to broadcast (a performance) by sending out signals through a transmitting station

   this concert is being relayed from the Albert Hall

relay Scientific  

/ rē′lā /

1. An electrical switch that is operated by an electromagnet, such as a solenoid. When a small current passes through the electromagnet's coiled wire, it produces a magnetic field that attracts a movable iron bar, causing it to pivot and open or close the switch.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• relays
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of relay

First recorded in 1375–1425; (for the verb) late Middle English relaien “to unleash fresh hounds in a hunt,” from Middle French relaier, Old French: “to leave behind, release,” from re- re- + laier “to leave” (dialectal variant of laissier, from Latin laxāre; see relax); (for the noun) late Middle English relai “set of fresh hounds,” from Middle French, derivative of relaier

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Explanation

If you relay something, you pass it to another person. When you relay the information that your pet monkey is known to attack people to your neighbors, you should bring a basket of muffins. Relay comes from the French relayer, which means "to change hounds on a hunt." It still has that sense of something passed in motion. You might run a relay race — each team member carries a baton part-way, then passes it on. We relay news, as when you take a message from Sally and relay it to Harry. A fresh work crew is a relay, and so is an electrical switch that can turn a second circuit on.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relay relays relaid relayed relaying

Sam Dickinson - who won an Olympic triathlon bronze in Paris as part Team GB's relay quartet - can see why the move makes sense but wants more clarity.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Gonzalez restarted his device and, until it booted up again, relied on nearby troops to relay his messages up the chain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Atlanta’s U.S. torch relay started in L.A., where Evans was one of the first people to run with it in 1996.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

In other cases, he said, Navatek’s lobbyists would relay a request from an intermediary for a specific dollar amount.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but it doesn’t seem like any of the relay girls have any interest in hanging out with me.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

In town, a crusty denizen relays to Sung-ae what he saw days ago in the forest, along with its digestive distress.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The evening session concluded with Great Britain winning a pair of gold medals in the men's and women's 4x100m relays.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Laser reception requires fewer relays and can be located at the data center, rather than relayed from a special antenna.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

"We found that activating this pathway excites the part of the spinal cord that relays touch and pain to the brain, causing touch to now be perceived as pain as well," said Ball.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 27, 2026

Grandpa relays the story of how they met at the campground.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

The unpaid work team at the Nene Valley Railway Museum relaid a track bed at the site.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025

The field has been belatedly relaid because there were concerts staged at the stadium last weekend.

From Seattle Times ● May 27, 2022

The problems with a newly relaid pitch were immediately apparent as Toby Alderweireld lost his footing straight from kick-off and was rescued by an offside flag as Stephen Humphrys tried to capitalise on his slip.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 18, 2018

My cousins and I hope there will be a time when the debris is cleared away, roads relaid and bridges rebuilt so that we might visit the hills where our grandmother raised our fathers.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2017

Lord took away the original turf of his cricket-ground at each migration and relaid it.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6 "Coucy-le-Château" to "Crocodile" by Various

In a phone call that evening, Karpenko relayed his conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

One of the family's lawyers, Bertrand Wattez, said the boy, Evan, denied the police account, relayed by prosecutors, that he had tried to pick up the grenade when it went off on October 5.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Slaughter relayed what Barry’s group has harped on all week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

He said he used Google's Gemini AI tool to summarise recent medical journal articles relevant to his mum's condition and symptoms, and then relayed it to the neurology consultant.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

I could not know if the message had been received and relayed to the ship.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Customers have come in with recommendations from ChatGPT, relaying them to these athletes who, little do they know, have tried nearly every shoe imaginable because they run 100-plus miles a week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

When the truck wasn’t there, they would draw the heavy metal gate closed and lock it, or else pay a scout to sit out front watching, relaying surveillance intel when needed.

From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026

Martin, Tennessee, is a small, out-of-the-way town that is ultimately best explained to strangers by relaying its travel time from Memphis.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Tehran, however, earlier denied that direct negotiations were under way, saying mediators were merely relaying messages from Washington.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Werner has been reading the popular science magazines in the drugstore; he’s interested in wave turbulence, tunnels to the center of the earth, the Nigerian method of relaying news over distances with drums.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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Related Words

• broadcast
• carry
• communicate
• deliver
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