Showing results for "relay"

• a variation of re-lay.

relay

¹ American  

[ree-ley, ree-ley, ri-ley] / 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-ley] / 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

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

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

First, Shohei Ohtani was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple after a relay throw by Francisco Lindor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

This year there was no baton relay across the Commonwealth but each of the 74 nations and territories was given a wooden baton to decorate.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The agency set up a relay connecting radar scopes to the Long Island facility, more than 100 miles away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The agency will also issue an open solicitation for Moon Base technology demonstrations and begin pursuing a lunar communication and navigation relay constellation to improve communications between infrastructure on the Moon and Earth.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

"Again, everyone is responsible for everyone. In relay, you win and lose as a team. You are not two legs, you are eight," Coach droned.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Dina Asher-Smith and Olympic silver medalist Matt Hudson-Smith, who were both set to run relays in Glasgow, have also been replaced, as has Asher-Smith's sprint team-mate Daryll Neita.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 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

After record-setting performances in the 4x100 relays last weekend at the Arcadia Invitational, the Servite and Rosary relay teams will try to do it again on Saturday at the Mt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026

He relays the startling observation that today the stock market is 20 times more volatile than the underlying, relatively stable, fundamental data, including interest rates and economic growth, can explain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Two relays of hounds, squealing most sore — the third was faint with fatigue.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz

Several pitches for World Cup matches are being played in stadiums that usually have artificial surfaces but which have been relaid with grass.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

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

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

That all wants to be taken up, levelled, and relaid.

From The New Gulliver and Other Stories by Pain, Barry

Residents relayed when not to drive, when not to return, when to stay inside, and when to come out in force.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

On it, smart cameras installed around his home relayed images of his house, now under clear blue skies, with the hosepipe in the yard unravelled where he left it.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Matthews said he listened to her and she relayed "very, very serious allegations".

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

And former reality TV star Spencer Pratt relayed a message from the heavens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

He relayed the news of his doings to Amanda, sure that his airborne messages reached her.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

"There's a commander within them -- BC6 -- that leads them in relaying signals to the downstream target."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

U.S. citizen Thomas Pauken II pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered Chinese agent, having received at least $100,000 for recruiting informants, providing communication devices, and relaying intelligence to handlers in China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

He has devoted a surprising amount of time and energy into relaying the minute engineering problems plaguing this shallow pool on the National Mall.

From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026

"Charlotte says all good," Wilson wrote in a message to Ghost, relaying her conversation after speaking with MacInnes.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

So when Miss Roginski’s note came—late—it got sent to Knopf and they took their time relaying it—I was really ready for a lift.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Related Words

• broadcast
• carry
• communicate
• deliver
• hand over
• send
• turn over