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

Language, on the other hand, dates back only about a hundred millennia, a shorthand humans created to process and relay concepts great and small.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Relive Great Britain's Amy Hunt's "iconic" European Championships where the sprinter won four gold medals with victories in the women's 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and the mixed 4x100m relay.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, Amy Hunt, Success Eduan and Imani-Lara Lansiquot dominate the 4x100m relay to win a brilliant gold.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“We’re very much looking at creators who have something to say, who really want to be very sharp in their perspective they’re trying to relay about the story they’re telling,” Howe said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

"Good. Coach Whit is gonna work with y'all. These two groups are our 4x800 relay teams. If anyone has a problem with this decision, speak now or forever hold your peace."

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

Dana relays that if there’s a part of Ilana’s skin that glows, she’ll swab it with a wet, then dry, cotton swab.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 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

The nurses were watching the relays, our blood pressure and all.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

"We think it paid for a huge renovation project here at that time," says the Very Reverend Philip Hesketh, Dean of Rochester, pointing out the quire paving that was relaid.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 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

Bay-windows and a porch had been built out, the front garden had been relaid, several rooms refurnished, and all had been kept a grand secret from Phebe.

From The Little Missis by Charlotte Skinner

Then Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet relayed a comment from one of the organization’s college students: “A burrito shouldn’t cost $20.”

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

As we’re talking, Camerieri tells Hoffs that he recently met Weir’s former tour manager — Weir died in January at age 78 — and that he’d relayed Hoffs’ memory of the encounter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

The fence sometimes relayed tips as to where we could find good loot.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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

“I’ll get my crew to blow the whistle to honor the memory of your friend,” he said, before relaying instructions on his radio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

In March, several weeks into the war, Islamabad confirmed it was relaying messages back and forth between Tehran and Washington.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 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