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

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

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

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

"This is called back-energy transfer: it means that the energy that would have been emitted by the erbium ions as green light instead gets bounced back to the ytterbium relay and never reaches the surface."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Only shortwave radios worked, and the mayor of Los Angeles, Frank Shaw, spoke to the nation thanks to a relay via a wireless station way up in Point Reyes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The four relay runners were practicing baton handoffs.

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

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

Watch for a crack in the story your loved one relays about the relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

She and Asher-Smith will return to action on Wednesday, when attention turns to the 200m medals before the weekend's relays.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 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

We had remote relays attached to us to watch our blood and our brains.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

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

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl named a strong side for what was Newport's first home game of the campaign, with their notorious playing surface having been relaid over the summer, and the pristine surface suited Saints.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2021

The pitch was a problem too, sodden following a day’s downpour and patchy having been relaid at 5am on Tuesday after a series of Taylor Swift concerts.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 25, 2018

If the space thus left is filled up with other common soil, the turf can be relaid, and no harm is done to the meadow.

From Roses and Rose Growing by Rose Georgina Kingsley

In widely relayed video footage, three helmeted riot police officers are seen facing the high school student.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

In an interview with David Rosenberg of Rosenberg Research, Gundlach relayed the story of a 100-year-old silver maple at his house in Buffalo, N.Y., that lost a giant limb, nearly hitting the chimney.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

But an email seen by ProPublica suggests that someone must have relayed the news of Kao’s donation to Collins, just like Reed promised to do in Kao’s recounting of the Corner Bakery meeting.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

He also relayed the views of Everton's American owners that they regarded missing out on Europe last season as "failure".

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

She relayed this information to Wielaf and Alfhercht as the group walked toward her barn.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

It's still just horrible to drive, but I'm doing a better job at just understanding this, relaying this to my team, figuring stuff out.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 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

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Madison was relaying state-by-state assessments to Monticello, which were also being reported in the local press.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

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