relay
1 Americannoun
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relays
plural
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a series of persons relieving one another or taking turns; shift.
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a fresh set of dogs or horses posted in readiness for use in a hunt, on a journey, etc.
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Sports.
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a length or leg in a relay race.
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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.
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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.
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(initial capital letter) one of an early series of experimental low-altitude, active communications satellites.
verb (used with object)
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to carry forward by or as if by relays.
to relay a message.
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to provide with or replace by fresh relays.
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Electricity. to retransmit (a signal, message, etc.) by or as if by means of a telegraphic relay.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a person or team of people relieving others, as on a shift
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a fresh team of horses, dogs, etc, posted at intervals along a route to relieve others
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the act of relaying or process of being relayed
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short for relay race
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one of the sections of a relay race
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an automatic device that controls the setting of a valve, switch, etc, by means of an electric motor, solenoid, or pneumatic mechanism
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electronics an electrical device in which a small change in current or voltage controls the switching on or off of circuits or other devices
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radio
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a combination of a receiver and transmitter designed to receive radio signals and retransmit them, in order to extend their range
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( as modifier )
a relay station
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verb
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to carry or spread (something, such as news or information) by relays
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to supply or replace with relays
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to retransmit (a signal) by means of a relay
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to broadcast (a performance) by sending out signals through a transmitting station
this concert is being relayed from the Albert Hall
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing relay
Patina
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A Good Kind of Trouble
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Let's Race!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
Despite feeling "absolutely terrified" during the event's inaugural mixed 4x100m relay, Asher-Smith, world 200m champion in 2019, leaves Birmingham a 22-time international medallist in her senior career.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The 24-year-old will now attempt to become the first athlete to win four gold medals at a single edition in the event's 92-year history when the mixed 4x100m relay takes place on Sunday.
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
The coach took the four relay runners to Franklin Field in his car.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
It was the 34-year-old's third medal of the 2026 Games, having won silver in the mixed 4x100 medley and bronze in the men's 4x100 freestyle relays.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
Calabasas has won two of three head-to-head relays with Rosary this spring, having clocked 44.95 to take the teams’ first encounter at the Mt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
"Now, watch and learn," Whit said, and started demonstrating the blind handoff, a technique that usually only sprinters do during relays because of the momentum of the incoming runner.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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
The greater part of the nave was paved with Painswick stone, and in the rest of the church the gravestones were relaid.
From Bell's Cathedrals: The Abbey Church of Tewkesbury with some Account of the Priory Church of Deerhurst Gloucestershire by H. J. L. J. (Henri Jean Louis Joseph) Massé
Asked if he has relayed that message to Apple, Lutnick said “plainly.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
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
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
Weber said his patients have relayed positive anecdotes regarding peptide use -- but cautioned such anecdotes are not enough to guide use more broadly, without deeper research.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
I relayed this to Reggie as part of a long conversation we had on how he might be able to move on.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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
"Charlotte says all good," Wilson wrote in a message to Ghost, relaying her conversation after speaking with MacInnes.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
On January 1, 1812, a short but cordial note went out from Quincy to Monticello, relaying family news and referring to two pieces of Homespun coming along by separate packet.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
