delay
Americanverb (used with object)
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delays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delayed,
past participle, past
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delaying
present participle
verb (used without object)
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delays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delayed,
past participle, past
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delaying
present participle
noun
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delays
plural
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the act of delaying; procrastination.
- Synonyms:
- loitering
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an instance of being delayed.
There were many delays during the train trip.
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the period or amount of time during which something is delayed.
The ballet performance began after a half-hour delay.
verb
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(tr) to put off to a later time; defer
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(tr) to slow up, hinder, or cause to be late; detain
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(intr) to be irresolute or put off doing something; procrastinate
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(intr) to linger; dawdle
noun
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the act or an instance of delaying or being delayed
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the interval between one event and another; lull; interlude
Usage
What does delay mean? As a verb, delay means to put something off or postpone it until later, or to cause something to take longer or to be late. As a noun, delay means an instance of something being postponed till later, or the amount of time between when something was supposed to happen and when it does happen (the lull or interlude). Example: The convention has not been canceled—it has been delayed until we can find a proper venue.
Synonym Usage
See defer 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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delayernoun
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predelaynoun
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delayableadjective
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undelayableadjective
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undelayingadjective
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delayinglyadverb
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undelayinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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delaysimple
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delayssimple
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have delayedperfect
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has delayedperfect
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am delayingprogressive
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are delayingprogressive
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is delayingprogressive
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have been delayingperfect progressive
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has been delayingperfect progressive
Past
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delayedsimple
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had delayedperfect
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was delayingprogressive
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were delayingprogressive
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had been delayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of delay
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English delaien (verb), delai(e) (noun), from Old French delaier (verb), delai (noun)
Explanation
A delay is a wait or a postponement. An unexpected delay before the start of a play might make the audience restless and noisy. During a delay, you have to wait around for things to begin. Delay is also a verb: "That burnt pizza is going to delay dinner for at least another hour." You can also delay by loitering or hanging around: "The performer always delays when he's nervous about singing in front of a crowd." Delay comes from the Old French delaiier, from the roots de-, "not," and laier, "leave."
Vocabulary lists containing delay
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 3
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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Unit 5
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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:
Looking back, she was philosophical about the delay.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
As young people also delay getting married and have fewer children “there are lifestyle choices that may mean they don’t need to have a car, especially on the family side,” Robb added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
When light scatters inside a cell, it also experiences a tiny delay that changes its phase, or the timing of its wave peaks.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
"If it's not necessary, with everything going on in those countries, I think it's better to delay the trip for a while," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
I was trying to find a way to delay Rose when she got to her feet beside me.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
The BBC’s lawyers said they had been trying to schedule Trump’s deposition since July and had faced repeated delays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
He said this has forced him to write everything on paper documents, leading to delays for customers.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
If funding becomes more expensive or a customer delays expansion, the effects can travel through the project.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
But several projects suffered delays, cost overruns or technical problems, Nicolas Munoz, an analyst at London-based consultancy CRU Group, noted.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
“Any more delays and I’m going to be up to my ass in lawsuits.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Although they were eventually recovered, it delayed work on This Music May Contain Hope by almost a year.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Days later, Blackstone-backed Airtrunk delayed a planned Singapore listing to the first half of next year over similar concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The lower bound assumes IBM closes around 10% or more of the delayed second-quarter deals, while the upper bound represents all the deals closing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
According to the report, the disturbance interfered with railway signals in Exeter and delayed the scheduled 10:05 p.m. train departure by 16 minutes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
He announced that there was a birthday present for all of us coming from Austin but that it had been unexpectedly delayed and would arrive later in the week.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
Promoter Frank Warren is working towards staging Hrgovic's first defence in Croatia early next year, potentially delaying a reunion with Dubois.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
If you live well into your 80s, delaying benefits will result in higher lifetime monthly payments.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The earlier fat intake also slowed gastric emptying, delaying the movement of glucose from the stomach into the intestine.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The most visible economic casualty has been investment, as companies are delaying spending amid uncertainty over taxes, regulation and the direction of economic policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
All of these are ways of delaying time, slowing it down, so I won’t have to go out through the kitchen door.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
